


Zuìhòu xuě [The Last Snow]

by nyny_68



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Slice of Life, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-03-09 07:34:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 158,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3241496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyny_68/pseuds/nyny_68
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>TAOHUN FANFIC - [ONGOING!!] ~~ Meet Huang Zitao, the bespectacled teacher's pet who aces every test, who works hard at his books, and his club activities, model student, star pupil, captain of the Wushu Club ~~ respected, looked up to, and Head-Boy in all but name, who rules the student body with an iron fist~~ But what happens when a new kid shows up, handsome enough to make every girl swoon, playful, fun, and instantly popular, with brilliantly coloured hair, and an unmitigated irreverence for the rules?  </p><p> </p><p>[Side pairing ~~ XIUHAN]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

…….

NO FUÇKIN WAY

!!!!!

Tao stared in horror at the new transfer student who was writing his name out in big letters on the blackboard. Finishing, he dropped the chalk on the teacher’s table, and dusting his hands, shot a cheeky grin at the class – the girls, who had been squealing and giggling ever since Laoshi had walked in with the incredibly hot, blonde guy in tow, going even crazier – and bowed. ‘Good Morning.I’m Oh Thehun…I’ll be in your care from today.’

_His voice…that lisp…_

_It was really him!!_

 

_Oh godohgodohGOD what was he going to do, oh fuçking sh!t, he was SO dead!!!_

 

 

Tao held his breath, waiting for calamity to strike.

…..

 

Huh?!!

 

The new guy (‘ _sehun..’?)_ walked confidently to the empty seat at the back of the class, not even glancing at Tao..

Or rather, just including Tao in the general once-over he had given the entire class, without even the slightest hint of recognition.

 

HUH??!!

 

 

Maybe he didn’t recognize Tao??  _Maybe he didn’t even remember._

But it had just been 3 days, there was no way..

 

 

 

Oh well. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, right?

 

Tao heaved a sigh of relief.

Pushing his spectacles higher on his nose, he clicked his pencil, driving the lead out, and started taking notes on the example sentences in Passive Speech that Laoshi was writing out on the board (Half of Tao’s ability to score high in tests came from his ability to accurately read his teachers – and he well knew that Yixing Laoshi had a nasty tendency to ask questions based on seemingly random examples and comments he casually passed during his classes).

 

 

_\--Three days ago---------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Tao sat on the steps leading down to the promenade that lined the rushing waterway. There was not another person in sight. Obviously. It was so cold, so very cold, even the snow had avoided their city… Behind him, he could hear the rush of the cars on the highway..across the water, the lights of cars and streetlamps and the flashing neon marking yet another dive all blurred together in an indistinct kaleidoscope. Even dressed in a thick parka, his beanie pulled right down his ears, he could  feel the sharp stabs of pain as the cold penetrated into his bones.

He welcomed the pain.

 

He could no longer think.

 

No longer remember.

 

Remember nervously walking into Hisense Plaza[1.] last weekend, and heading straight into the Burberry store. Remember pacing back and forth in front of the cases and trays, before finally deciding on an 800 Yuan watch (effectively wiping out his entire savings). Remember excitedly wrapping it in glittery blue paper, and stashing it in the topmost drawer of his wardrobe. Remember keeping on taking it out, excitedly checking on the package every day, finally hiding it in his backpack that morning, carrying it around with him all day, his stomach in butterflies with anticipation. Remember hurrying through the cold to Kris’ place, and opening his door with the spare key he had known would be in the mouth of the big stuffed grey dog at the doorway (they had each bought a matching dog, that one time Kris had taken him on a date to Korean City in Shibei)[2.]. Remember excitedly bursting into Kris’ room, yelling ‘Happy Anniversary!!’ waving the gift in the air (he was so sure Kris would love it, just last week, he had been going on and on about how Burberry was so totally ‘his style’).

And remember the sight that met his eyes. The tangled limbs, those rising noises… Kris’ lips and hands and legs wound around Jongin, who was...

The look of utter irritation on Kris’ face as he asked Tao what the hell he was doing here.

But it wasn’t that easy to forget, was it.. All the months of secretly crushing on the unbelievably hot, basketball playing, half-American God who lived down the street. Finally gathering all his courage in his hands, and confessing at the ‘Keep-Our-Neighborhood-Clean’ drive. Being accepted, to his eternal surprise. The blissful time that followed… all the fun dates to places he had never been.. the laughter and cuddling and stolen kisses… the realisation that the actual Kris was far, far from the invincible Superman he had thought him to be. The realisation that he loved the clumsy, funny, kinda arrogant, quietly sweet and thoughtful Real version even more.

 

The cold deepened further.

 

He didn’t know how long he had been sitting here..how long it had been since he had fled out of Kris’ house..

The tears never came… he wanted to cry, the agony twisting in a hard lump in his throat…but oddly, the tears just wouldn’t come.

 

He couldn’t feel his fingers or toes or his nose anymore.

 

 

His mind was going totally blank as he just sat there…

 

 

He was glad.

He didn’t want to think anymore.

 

 

 

 

‘Huh??!!’ Tao jumped, snapping out of his trance, turning around sharply. The heat that had suddenly pressed into his cheek was a can of hot coffee… attached to a hand..that belonged to a guy he had never seen before. ‘Here.’ The boy shook the can at him, his pretty eyes curling closed, so big was his grin. ‘Take it.’

‘Thank you…’

Tao bowed his head politely, taking the can. Razor sharp pins and needles pierced his fingers as the warmth spread through their almost frozen depths. Ignoring them, he popped the tab, and took a long swallow. The heat burned through him, searing some feeling back into his body, scorching some thought back into his mind.

The stranger flopped down next to him, popping open his own can, and sipped prettily, almost daintily, from it. His hair was dyed an almost white-blonde, and his skin seemed to glow like it was lit from within. The bright yellow scarf with a skull pattern he had wound around his neck[3.] trailed behind him, dancing in the frigid breeze that occasionally blew across the water at them.

‘Aah, thith is tho beautiful!’ The boy stretched his arms high, sighing with pleasure, looking over across the chilly waters at the blazing lights.

He had a lisp - a slight one..but somehow it made him seem all the cuter..

There was something almost surreal about him.

 

Like he was a fairy..or an elf.. Tao had somehow conjured up.

 

 

Inspite of himself, inspite of everything, Tao felt himself getting distracted by the boy’s easy ways and gentle voice.

 

‘You’re not from around here, are you.’ It was more a statement than a question.

The boy glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes without turning his head, n smiling impishly, he just winked.

Tao felt somehow much calmer…soothed..

 

They sat in companionable silence in the freezing numbness for a while, occasionally sipping the hot coffee.

 

It must have been a good while later, when the boy turned to Tao.

‘Wanna go back to my place?’

Strangely, Tao wasn’t even shocked or taken aback in the slightest.

At that moment, the question seemed perfectly natural and normal. All he had to do was answer.

‘Why not.’

 

By the time they had stepped in, and the Boy shut and locked the door behind them, Tao was burning up. Even before he could turn around, Tao slammed him against the closed door, kissing his neck, his hands fumbling under his fur jacket. The little moan the boy let out when his lips wetly touched the nape of his neck sent another shaft of desire spiralling through him. Tao broke away from him long enough to pull his jacket off, tossing it on the floor, and added his own parka, and then his Tee to the pile. The boy took the opportunity to twist around, impatiently grabbing Tao’s face, his hands soft and smooth as they cradled his face, drawing him down.

Their lips met.

His lips were so incredibly soft, yet firm..

Hungrily, Tao sucked his full lower lip into his mouth, suckling at it roughly, lightly biting before letting go, to thrust his tongue into his mouth. The boy wound his hands into Tao’s hair, his nails scratching against Tao’s scalp as they tightened, both their tongues cloying and rubbing and teasing against each other… Tao’s hands lightly running down the boy’s sides under his Tee, his nails grazing his skin.. The boy’s hips thrusting reflexively as Tao’s hands stroked the small of his back, then plied over his hip bones…

'Uhh...mmm...'

 

'mmnn...'

 

 

The yearning that exploded in Tao was on a whole 'nother level than anything he had ever experienced before - 

_Even.... when he was .... with....._

Almost like he could sense the direction in which Tao's thoughts were turning..and the chilly jagged ball of ice that seemed to have suddenly appeared in his throat,  the boy broke the kiss, to just  _lick_  along the length if Tao’s lower lip.

And just like that, a fire leapt through him, instantly,  _easily_ , melting away any thought other than the desire to burn himself more with this..

 

_It felt **so**  good... _

 

_More...._

 

Sucking, licking, he wetly traced kisses along Tao’s jawline, and down the line of his neck… His tongue dipping to flick against the hollow between his collarbones, before moving downward..

Abruptly, the boy let go, before clamping down on Tao’s right nipple, his teeth teasingly pressing against them, then his tongue swirling in a spiralling pattern, sending hot stabs of sensation twisting through his nerves…

Tao groaned

_I **have**  to have more!! _

_Hurry!!_

Tao pulled the boy off, jerking his Tee up above his head, his hands quickly going next to his belt buckle, then undoing his jeans, and pushing them down along with his boxers, exposing the boy’s hard, engorged dick, the circumcised tip already gleaming with precum. Tao grabbed it near the base, his hands clenching tightly, squeezing, making the boy cry out and arch his back in pleasure, thrusting against Tao’s firm hold, which refused to budge..

 

Looking him in the eye with a mischievous smile, Tao held firm, not moving, not allowing him to..

 

The boy yelled incoherently at him, and Tao finally, without warning, started pounded his hand up, then down, alternatingly clenching and relaxing his grip…

 

'Ohhh _GOD_!!'

 

'Uhh...fu...uummnnhhh!!'

 

'ah...ah....'

 

The boy’s nails digging into his back, the wild look in his eyes.. somehow these were the absolute most arousing things Tao had ever experienced…

Tao lifted his hand off, before the boy could peak, moving away to remove his own pants. He then pushed the boy onto the floor, kissing him deeply, moving to suck his ear for an instant, then lifting away..moving his hand down once again, he ran his finger along the head of the boy’s dick, then brought his precum laden finger to his mouth, holding the boy’s eyes focused on the movement, he thrust his entire finger into his mouth, sucking noisily, moving it in and out a few times, the boy’s gaze helplessly following each time, his kiss-swollen lips parted, as he moaned..

‘ _Please…_ ’

Tao popped his finger out of his mouth with a wet sound, moving it down to run between the boy’s buttocks, from the front backwards, then back, rubbing hard against his anus each time, each time shorter and shorter motions, till he was just moving back and forth against his anal opening… stroking.. circling round and round, frequently bringing his finger back to his mouth to wet and suck on it…

Kissing the boy thoroughly between…

 

' _MM....uh...ah.....mnnn...'_

 

 

_'ohh fu...please....fuck....'_

 

'GUUAGHHAA!!!' Abruptly, forcefully, he thrust his finger into the boy’s anus, making him cry out

 

Thrusting it in and out rapidly, he added a second finger, stretching them apart with each thrust…

His tongue repeating the darting motions in the boy’s mouth, as he tried to trap it inside, sucking..

 

'Ahhhggh..aa..nmff....ohh'

 

'ahhhh..yes..ohhgod  _yes..._ ahnn..'

 

'uh...ah..ah...'

 

' _Hu...hurryyy...._ ' 

He didnt know which one of them had groaned the words... his head buzzing from the sound of his blood pounding in his ears, the heat rioting through every inch of his body.... the sweetly painful swells of pleasure moving up his body from his arousal.... 

_I can't...hold off anymore!!!_

Had he spoken out loud? He wasn't sure... but right then, the boy slid one hand over his chest - to grab his already raw nipple in a pinch... then pushing it down painfully 

The new throbbing incinerated any last vestiges of tentativeness. Without thinking further, without the slightest hesitation or warning, he thrust his dick into the boy’s anus, his hands gripping his hip bones tightly, as he pulled out slowly... then thrust in hard again, so forcefully the boy's body slammed hard against the floor, n he screamed, clutching desperately at Tao's shoulders and arms...

Unmindfull, Tao shoved him down stronger, and started thrusting into him over and over, without pausing..

Not even waiting for him to get used to having him so deep inside...

Thrusting, pounding, slamming.. harder and deeper each time…

His groans matching the unintelligible cries the boy let out with each penetration..

As his dick hit over the boy's sweetest spot, he gasped convulsively, his muscles clenching dangerously tight around Tao, and with that,  the waves of pleasure crested through both of them 

_Fuck_

_Ohhh... damn..._

Tao grabbed the boy’s dick with one hand, balancing himself over him with just one strongly muscular arm, and started jerking him off in time to each of his thrusts inside…

_Fuck_

_it.. just keeps getting tighter..._..and so..  **so**..hot…

his walls squeezing indescribably around Tao, constricting…

Incredibly , they both reached the crescendo of their ecstasy together, falling over the edge simultaneously ....

.......the peaks of their orgasms higher than anything they had ever felt…

......Waves and waves of pleasure pouring over them...… like it would drive them crazy…

And then they came, Tao spilling deep inside him, the boy’s thick streams of white cum spattering over Tao’s abdomen.

 

They’d had sex two more times that night..before Tao turned down the offer of a shower, just wiping himself down before leaving to hurry home – he had to get back before his parents came home from from work

 

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

As he wrote down the questions Yixing Laoshi set as homework, he felt the panic rise in him again..

How the hell does someone just.. _forget_ something like that, within 72hrs?!!

He…couldn’t have, right?

 

Tao was faaar, far from coming out, and his sexual tastes were a very closely guarded secret, the image of serious, hardworking, model student one he'd give anything to preserve..  Having a boy he had slept with in the same class...that too a boy who was certain to attract as much attention as..Sehun..

That too a boy who was so clearly nothing more than a frivolous playboy..

This was going to be  _really_ big trouble.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

Appendix/ References for chapter one : 

As you can tell, i tried to set this story in Qingdao.. but ended up with a weird mix of Japanese-suburb in the middle, mostly coz i have  _no_ idea what a Chinese city is actually like...orz

Also, for the record, Winters in Qingdao are only mildly harsh, the temp drops below 0⁰C but only barely, and only for a very short time.

Plus i've totally gone for Pre-Christmas Snowfall here...o.o

well, that aside -- 

1\. Hisense plaza - upmarket mall in Qingdao >>

 

Tao's famous GUCCI shot --

 

 

2.] Shibei is a district of Qingdao (in  _china)_ , where there is a 'Korea-Town'. This is just a play on the matching dogs Kris and Tao got, when they went to  _China-Town_ in Incheon (in  _Korea)_

 

3.] The Taohun Scarf >> Tao with the scarf >>

 

Sehun wearing said scarf (in Qingdao) >>

In conclusion , 

 ❤ 

 

 

 

**Chinese guide**

Laoshi - Teacher


	2. Chapter Two

A week passed slowly, the deepening cold seeming to sap the energy of just about everyone in the city. The streets stayed deserted, the garishly bright colours and brilliant hues adorning the markets flapped over empty walkways. Even the occasional evergreen that dotted the roadside, or marked the centre of a park appeared to be trembling and hunched over, hiding themselves from the glacid air, their eternal summers fading…

Tao sat in the little café, sipping a steaming cup of cinnamon tea. He didn’t know exactly what it was he felt…

He still thought about Kris all the time… Spent the better part of the day checking his phone over and over again for a text - a call..  _anything,_  but nothing ever came. Maybe…maybe he had really just been a nuisance to him all along.  Their relationship had, after all, basically consisted of him chasing behind Kris, and Kris letting him. He hadn’t even  _seen_  Kris since then – though of course, that wasn’t surprising… this completely unprecedented cold spell was keeping everyone huddled up indoors.

But despite it all..somehow..he wasn’t in as much pain as he would’ve expected…

Time, huh..

That was all it took?

Because, that night..that night he had bolted from Kris’ place, not looking back – the way he had felt that night…Melodramatic as the thought was, he would rather die a thousand times over than feel that way again.

But now, just barely a week later, the sharp edge of the hurt had dulled.

Tao blew on his hands, his tea-warmed breath sending a shiver of heat through his fingers.

‘Err… Zitao-jun?’

‘Ah! Mai, sit down!’

Tao moved his book bag aside, making space for the pretty girl wrapped in a fur lined coat.

‘Thanks!’

She sat down, putting her own bag on the floor beside her chair, and ordering a peach flavoured tea from the little old lady who had come up behind her.

‘Aa…Zitao-jun, Thank you so much for this!’

‘It’s totally alright! After all, you couldn’t help getting ill, could you? Well..what would you like to start with?’

Tao flashed a smile at the petite girl with bouncing, glossy black curls, and deep dimples that flickered in and out, playing hide-and-seek around her happy nature, and was rewarded with the flush of cotton-candy pink that spread over her cheeks. She quickly looked down, and pulled out a long ruled notebook. ‘Umm..is Math ok?’ ‘Sure!’

Tao got out his own notes, and proceeded to set out questions and solutions for the most popular girl in his class. As the class rep, he often ended up helping tutor the students who had fallen behind for one reason or the other – though, of course, it was rarely as fun as this, spending an hour with someone like the cute girl next to him. Looking at her bent head, her hair glinting in the warm yellow lights, he thought that.. _if, ever,_ he came out, she would be one of the very few people who wouldn’t immediately turn on him and shun him. Still, such things were not even to be thought of.

 

They were working steadily over the latest trigonometry theorem, when, like a blaze of life, a group of people walked in, chattering and laughing, hanging onto each other, pushing, teasing… the sort of sparkling crowd that Tao, though far from unpopular himself, seemed to spend his life looking at from the outside. Everyone in the café, viz., Tao and Mai, one old lady in a corner with a cat basket from which a tawny tail rose up every few minutes, and Mrs.Wan, the little old lady who ran the store, stopped whatever it was they were doing to stare, a little wistfully, at the newcomers.

‘Huh.’

The Navy blue blazers peeping out from under their various, multicoloured  jackets and parkas, and the deep red scarves wound around all their necks signalled them as school fellows of Tao’s and Mai’s -  but Tao didn’t need that indicator.Bobbing at the very centre of the crowd, the crux around which the others preened and dazzled - that now familiar white-blonde head.

Try as he might, Tao couldn’t push aside the tingle that arose inside some deep, secret, unknown part of himself at the sight.

Mystery number two of this week (along with his strange lack of despair about the Kris Situation) – it had been one week, one whole week, and not by word, gesture or action had Sehun let on that he had ever even  _seen_ Tao before setting foot in class II B. Even when, the day before yesterday, they had been alone, just the two of them, first back to class after PE, for a good 4 minutes (Tao was definite about the passage of time, having been acutely aware of every second of those 4 mins.) The handsome boy, who stood out like a beacon not solely because of his extremely attractive face, or the vivid shade of his hair, but also for having transferred right in the middle of the winter term, and being foreign (Korean) to boot, had quickly been snapped up as an invaluable part of the ‘It’ crowd – to be honest, at this point, it seemed extraordinary that the group had even existed before Sehun’s advent. He had the unique ability to say and do the most extreme things, all the while with an angelic smile on his face, his demeanour a picture-postcard of innocence; His ability to attract people to him was unprecedented, and, Tao noted wryly, he wasn’t the only one who seemed to view him as some sort of magical, ethereal creature.

Before the week was out, Sehun had had his shoe locker, his desk, and his book bag stuffed to the overflowing with love letters, stuffed toys, and boxes of chocolate..but the part that had shocked Tao the most had been the moment that very afternoon, when he had walked into the green house behind the library (a pet project of Junmyeon Laoshi’s, which usually ended up being tended by Mr Class II B Rep, and nominal School council President, Huang Zitao) to find Sehun lip-locked with Eiri, captain of the Cheer club, and  _extremely female_  third year. Neither of them had even noticed as the astounded Tao knocked over three pots (fortunately empty now, thanks to the inclement weather), a watering can, and a bag of plant hormones, before making his hurried escape.

He had been right.

That waste of space was nothing more than a playboy

Which went to explain his total lack of awareness about Tao – he probably hooked up with so many people as a matter of course, he couldn’t possibly keep track of them all.

Tao hated that type of personality the most.

Look, even now, he had a different girl hanging onto each arm (Rina, the half British, green eyed beauty from II A, and Suki, who, while not exactly in the top 3 in terms of looks, was famous for being one of the most daring girls in school).

‘Umm… Zitao-jun?’

Tao turned to Mai with a smile quirking one corner of his lips.

‘Call me Tao, after all, we  _are_ classmates!’

Mai blushed prettily again, her gaze steadfastly fixed on her hands, twisting in her lap.

‘T..Ta..Tao-jun…?’

Tao grinned at her. Aah, this kid was really sweet. ‘Yup?’

Mai returned the grin, only hers was deeply painted over with a rosy tinge.

‘He’s…really..incredible isn’t he, the new transfer?’

‘Oh? Well.. he does seem a bit.. much..’

‘Yes, exactly! ’ Mai leaned forward earnestly. ‘I think its quite reprehensible, how they’ve let him colour his hair like that..and do what he wants in school! After all, since Tao-jun became Class Rep, you’ve worked so hard to keep up the level of the students, and ensure discipline… It’s like he’s flaunting all the rules on purpose..and everyone lets him get away with anything, just coz he’s a foreigner!’

Actually, Tao had never thought of that… Its true, if it had been anyone else, Tao himself would have taken him to task – no way was a  _new_ student allowed to get away with half as much as Sehun seemed to think natural behaviour..

But..

For one thing..somehow.. when Sehun did something, it just seemed cutely naughty, as opposed to actively rebellious…

For another.. how in the world was  _Tao_ supposed to go upto him and tell him what he was or wasn’t supposed to do??!!

But..waitaminute.. Wouldn’t everyone think it odd if he  _didn’t_?? Tao was the one who was the most respected, looked up to equally by the teachers and the student body, the one who kept everyone in line, from the youngest first years, to the most ‘grown-up’ thirds… Handsome, mature, conscientious, hardworking… Captain of the most revered club in the school, the Wushu club (which had won every single competition they had entered in after Tao took the lead), highest scorer in every single test or exam. (he was even ranked 3 rd in the province) ..he occupied the role of Head Boy in all but name (it was a position traditionally reserved only for the third years) and he took that role very seriously indeed.

To let a boy from his own class virtually run amok…

 

Tao pulled his glasses off to wipe them on the pristine, downy cotton handkerchief he kept specially for such moments – i.e,  when he needed to buy time in the middle of a conversation. The golden threads monogramming his initials in English letters glinted in the light.

‘Well..It  _is_ true he seems to have an extraordinary lack of respect for regulations.. But Mai-mei, you have to remember, he  _is_ from another country. Of course it will be very difficult for him to suddenly mould himself to a totally different culture… We should let him have a bit of time to get used to the way we do things here, shouldn’t we?’

Even as he said it, Tao thought it was a particularly lame excuse, but from Mai’s widening eyes, and shining smile, it went down okay – ‘Ah! I should have known! Tao-jun is really so thoughtful and kind!’  

Tao grinned at her,mostly in relief, waving his hand in negation, when a seductively familiar scent pierced right through him, setting his skin in goosebumps, an instant before a voice sounded just behind him.

‘Aah! Could this be??!! Is this.. a DATE?!!!’

Tao spun around like he had been shot, to see Sehun leaning over the narrow wooden railing beside Tao’s chair, grinning cheekily at him…

Those eyes half closed… just like that first moment he had seen him…

 

‘Kyyaah!! Class Rep-jun and Mai-mei!!’ ‘Waa! They look good together, right?!’ ‘So unexpected!!’ ‘Oy oy, how long has this been going on??!!’

‘Sehun’s crowd’ was now clustered around him, all of them trying to get as close to Tao and Mai’s table as possible, teasing voices beaming at the sight of their ultimate prim-and-proper Class Rep caught in such a situation.

 

Tao pushed his glasses up higher on his nose, levelling a stern stare at all of them.

 

_No, don’t think about his lips at a time like this._

 

It was difficult to focus with Sehun this close to him, for the first time since…

 

_No, or how his voice sounds when he moans, just before he -_

 

Trying his hardest to push his errant thoughts away, Tao somehow managed to keep his expression severe as he tapped the notebooks on the table with one long finger.

‘I’m tutoring her, as she was out of class sick all last week. Just like you, I might add, Suki-ji, only I didn’t get any response from you despite Laoshi putting your name up in the list.’

As Suki giggled and tried to think up some ridiculous pretext or the other, and the others fell to teasing her, Sehun frowned at Lu Han, the erstwhile ‘most-popular-guy-in-school’ who had lost that title since Sehun transferred in, but seemed utterly happy to play the role of his right-hand-guy/ second-in-command now. ‘eehh.. List?’

Now everyone was laughing at Sehun, and Lu Han playfully punched his shoulder.

‘Báichī, the list of people who need extra tutoring..well, technically, its supposed to be Yixing Laoshi who takes extra classes, but since we’re so lucky as to have such a highly acclaimed Genius Class Rep…’

‘Your name’s been on it since you joined!!’ Xiumin put in, his cheeks puffing out even more in glee.

_Ohcrap. Why did he have to have mentioned the list._

_Well..not that it would matter, ha! Like Oh ‘Thehun’ would even for a second consider –_

‘AH!! I didn’t know!!’ tilting his head to one side, Sehun smiled so endearingly at Tao, he had to dig his nails into his palms under the table to keep from squealing like one of the ‘fangirls’. ‘I want to be tutored by Huang-jun too!!’

_What the HELL??!!_

_Not a single word, not ONE, for a week, not even a glance, since he set foot in school… And now suddenly this??!!!_

_What the fuck was he trying to do?!!!_

The crowd around Sehun burst into howls of laughter. ‘Cut it out, yo!’

‘you’ll be bored to death!’

‘These things are not for people like us, nee~’

‘Se-xiōng, you have no idea what you are getting into!’

‘Seehuun!! You promised you’d take me for a movie this weekend!’

‘And we’re having dinner together…right?’

Sehun looked down at Rina’s pout, and chuckled. ‘Ah, you’re right, ne~~.’ Twisting only his head around, he winked at Tao. ‘Sorry, Class Rep-jun! Seems I have better things to do after all’

Followed by his retinue, Sehun walked off, casually dropping a folded bill on the counter in front of Mrs.Wan, as everyone picked up their packs of drinks, and headed out. A blast of chilly air rioted through the café for an instant before the door swung shut..suddenly seeming to trap Tao in a space that was dull and gloomy and dark.

 

_That last bit..was he being made fun of?_

 

Looking over at Mai, her face red and her hands fisted, glaring at the now shut door of the café, Tao realised it had indeed been a dig at him.

‘How… how  _dare_ he!!’ She spluttered, her anger colouring her voice.

‘Aahh, its okay, never mind him, lets get back to the theorem, shall we..’

 

 

Being teased by someone… this was a completely new experience for Tao, and he didn’t know quite how to respond.. He had always, always been looked up to… feared almost, all his life..People usually tended to take one look at him, and decide not to mess with him. Never had one of the others ever even got mad at him, tried to answer back to him, tried to stand against him in any way..Tao had never thought about  _why_ it was so – it was just natural, that’s all. But Sehun..

Sehun was the first person who had ever spoken to him that flippantly..It seemed like the rest of them were taking their cues from him, but they were so unimportant, Tao couldn’t even feel the slightest bit of annoyance at them – no, all his annoyance was laser-pointed at the kid who had just come in one day, and astonishingly been able to see right through him, past the tough-guy exterior, to the boy inside who didn’t really know at all what he was doing…

 

 

 

 

Lying awake that night, Tao hugged the comforter close, stretching his toes over the bed-warmer. Even with the heater set to its highest level, he felt like tiny icicles were flowing through his veins. The fluorescent green of his alarm clock flashed the time

03:10:11

 

03:10:15…

 

03:11:13….

It was like he mired down in quicksand..

 

Groaning in frustration, Tao turned over, covering his eyes with his forearm.

There were a  _thousand_ clever retorts he could have made to that stupid idiot! Who the hell did he think he was, talking to Tao like that!! What the hell was wrong with him anyway, did he really forget all about that… _that incident_? Ha! He was just pretending, wasn’t he..

Maybe, like Tao, he didn’t want it getting out that he was okay with guys too??

But, honestly, how dare he just come in and say whatever the hell he felt like?!!

Not to mention, what the fuck is wrong with him, Tao, why does his brain just freeze like that around that dumbhead! Everytime he looked at him..or heard his voice..(or even  _smelt_ him, for crying out loud!) He just..couldn’t stop remembering..how it had felt..

 

For the first time, Tao let his mind drift back.. Replay that night… or rather, the later part of that night, because all these days he had kept obsessively thinking about it, alright, but his recollections only went as far leaving Kris’.

Or to be more precise… at this point..

He couldn’t  _stop_ his mind from retracing each moment of that time..that time Sehun had kissed his all over..those little wet, suckling kisses.. and the way his lips and teeth had felt on Tao’s nipple…

Tao grimaced.

Even the memory…felt..incredible…

One arm still pressed over his eyes, Tao slid his other hand into the bottom of his neat, blue pinstriped pajamas.  He was already so hard… engorged and full, the slimy feel of his precum slipping between his trembling fingers. His thoughts were totally hijacked by the images of Sehun moaning under him… his hands scrabbling at Tao as he thrust into him…the velvety, downy feel of his muscles clenching and spasming around him..

And the way he had looked, today..leaning up at Tao, his eyes narrowed.. his lips wet and glistening..Tao was now so far gone, it took hardly a few pounding fists to have him spewing over his PJs.

 

With a snarl of annoyance, he sat up and pulled off his covers. What the hell was he doing??!! In his bed,  _in his clothes_?!  The cold sent sharp knives through the toes of his bare feet as he wiped himself off and changed, but he deliberately spread his heels over the wooden floor. _Get a grip._  Irritated with himself, he jumped into bed, and pulled the covers over himself.

 

His last thought before drifting off was the sudden recollection of that the spike of excitement and arousal that had trickled through him when he had imagined, for that one instant earlier in the evening, the possibility of weeks spent tutoring Sehun..just the two of them, all alone…

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chinese Guide 

Laoshi - sensei

-Jun (~君) A suffix used for a male friend or a respected person.

-mei (~妹) A suffix used for a younger sister /female friend

-ji (~姬) A suffix for female friend

-xiōng (兄) A suffix used for male friend/brother

 Báichī - baka/ idiot

 

Huang Zitao who believes in studying hard T^T :'D

  cr - @taohae

//aah, really his personality is soo good!! ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚♡♡♡♡


	3. Chapter Three

It was already mid morning when Tao finally came downstairs. His mom was lounging on the couch, watching a sitcom, and she waved him over to the covered dishes on the dining table. ‘Tao-cchi, Yuki-Nainai made toast and mushroom-stuffed omelettes for you.’  His mood lifting, Tao headed over and elegantly plated himself his favourite breakfast. Yuki-Nainai, their cook and general housekeeper since Tao had been little, always seemed to know when he needed something specially nice to pick him up. His glasses fogging slightly with the steam from the piping hot cup of coffee he poured himself from the carafe on the sideboard, Tao poked his head into the kitchen to say Good Morning to her, only to find it deserted, the counters gleaming and empty.

‘Ah, Tao-cchi, Yuki-Nainai went home early today, she had some personal business to attend to…’

‘eehh..’

Sometimes, it was easy to forget that the old lady, whose world seemed to revolve around her pet, her darling Tao-chiancheng (after the way Tao used to mispronounce his name  _tao-xiansheng_ when he was small) had a life of her own.

 

Tao finished his breakfast quickly, then leaned back in his chair. The sky outside the window was heavy and overcast..but still no signs of snow. Everyone was waiting for the snow more eagerly than usual this year - If the skies opened up on their city, it would mean the temperatures were starting to rise. As the weather channels kept reminding them, it was literally, just too cold to snow right now.

He spent the rest of the morning despondently going from his Gameboy console, to his tv, to sprawl over his bed and bury his head in his pillows. Somehow, he just couldn’t get the motivation to do anything… even refusing Mom’s offer to order take out for lunch (a rare, and therefore kinda exciting occurrence in their household) .. it must be the cold, sapping all his enthusiasm..Aargh! He had even planned to get through the college-level algebra workbook this weekend… he angled his head to look at the (relatively) thin glossy volume on his table that Suho Laoshi, the principal, had personally gotten for him.

 

He just didn’t care about it now…

 

Maybe he was coming down with something…

 

 

 

It was as dark as the middle of the night by 6:00 pm, when his Mom yelled up at him from the bottom of the stairs. Dragging himself out from under the covers, Tao didn’t even bother running his fingers through his hair, or checking his mirror, (unthinkable for him); just ramming his glasses on his nose, and heading downstairs.

‘Tao! Xiaoer, sweety, could you go to the grocery store for me? Since Yuki-Nainai isn’t here, I’ll make us some pasta for dinner, k?’

‘Dad?’

‘Dad’s gonna be late today, so I told him to eat something before coming home. Make sure you pick out the tomatoes properly, kay, I don’t want a bunch of rotten ones!’

‘Yeah, yeah.’

Grinning fondly, Tao shook his phone at her, to indicate he had gotten her bluetoothed shopping list, and pulled on his parka, doing up the zipper carefully, then dragging his beanie almost to his nose, and securely fastening the mittens his Mom had chucked at his head with a ‘Be careful, it’s cold out there’, trying to cover every bit of his skin.

Even so, his stomach plummeted with the blast of freezing air that met him when he stepped out of the door. Luckily, there was a supermarket just two blocks away, he wouldn’t have to go far. Stuffing his hands as deep into his pockets as possible, he pushed his chin into his chest, and strode down the street. It seemed like ages before he reached the fluorescent lights and old time-service posters that lined the pavement outside the supermarket. Wrinkling up his nose experimentally, (it felt like it had frozen through and through, and would fall off any second) and taking off the mittens, he pulled out his phone and scrolled down the list (tissue paper? Ha, she had just taken full advantage of him, hadn’t she, this had nothing to do with pasta, aka his favourite night-time food). Tao chuckled wryly as he stepped in the glass doors and looked up..

And froze.

 

It felt like his heart had literally seized for a moment, and his lungs collapsed.

 

Before the roar of blood in his ears turned into a thundering tidal wave.

 

It was Kris.

 

 

Kris, in a buttoned down coat, and a red beanie.

 

 

Kris, laughing down at Jongin, his arm slung around his shoulders.

 

 

Kris,  _Kris,_ leaning to nuzzle at Jongin’s ear, as Jongin, his lips pursed, examined the labels on the packs of sea-food crisps he held in each hand. Jongin, looking up, his beautiful tanned skin (inexplicably manly and smooth brown, even in this weather) taking on a rosy tinge as he grinned, and tenderly rubbed his cheek against Kris’.

Then both of them turning, simultaneously, Jongin dropping both packs into the already overflowing basket Kris hefted in one hand, and heading to the counter..

And coming to a stand still as they spotted Tao.

 

He had been wrong. One week had done  _nothing_ to dull the waves of anger, and hurt, and betrayal. Nothing.

Tao felt like he was being ripped to pieces as he stood there… barely six feet from Kris, staring at the boy he had been in love with for so long. Some part of his mind registered that Kris had never, ever, looked at him the way he had been looking at Jongin. Kris had never held him as carefully and lovingly as he held the long-limbed, bronzed boy, over whose shoulder his arm was still draped. But Tao couldn’t process these thoughts, or any other, under the onslaught of emotions that flooded through him. Pain..grief..sadness…despair…

Fury at being so betrayed..

The awful ache in the centre of his chest that wouldn’t let him be purely angry, that kept dragging him into the pools of anguish and misery

Shame, _oh the shame_ , he was so terribly ashamed at the extent of the distress that swelled through him.. Kris didn’t even care, Kris was happily… uncaringly…

Shame at letting himself be so betrayed.. Shame that he couldn’t have held onto the spectacular boy in front of him…Shame at having been thrown aside so unconcernedly

He couldn’t think, couldn’t move.

 

His eyes burnt, and the hard lump in his throat squeezed and twisted

 

Was he going to cry?

 

Cry right here, in the middle of the supermarket..

 

Cry in front of Kris, and his new pet?

 

The tears prickled the corners of his lids..

 

 

And then, suddenly, completely, utterly, absolutely unexpectedly -

‘TAO-ZI! Honestly, its too cold for you to stand here spacing!’

A familiar scent tickled his nostrils, before a wonderfully warm weight hurtled at him, slender arms wrapping around him and holding him tight. Soft white-blond hair tickled his chin as that beautiful face pressed into his neck, and those lips..as soft and yet deliciously firm as he remembered, as he  _fantasized,_  grazed his collar bone, gently, but possessively.

Without moving from his position twined around Tao, Sehun just shifted his head, raising his eyebrow at Kris and Jongin in manner that implied both curiosity and aloofness. ‘Someone you know?’ even as he asked, his tone was dismissive.

 

The boy was really magical.

 

Just with that..just with that, it was like Tao could breathe again. It was like he had been plunged back into his body. He was in control again.

Pushing his glasses up with one hand, the other shifting to pat Sehun’s head, his fingers trailing through his hair in a gesture that somehow captured more affection and attraction than Tao could have possibly imagined himself feeling towards  _anybody_ or  _anything_ , Tao smiled casually at Kris.

‘Ah, this is Kris… an  _old_  friend..and Jongin, we all live in the same neighbourhood.’ Tao stepped forward, his arm now moving to encircle Sehun’s slender waist. As usual, the boy didn’t seem to feel the cold, and was only wearing, with his yellow scarf, a thin jacket and tee. So thin, Tao could feel his ribs through them. He couldn’t help moving his hand lower, to rest on those perfectly protuberant-without-being-bony hip bones, as he nodded at the pair in front. ‘This is Sehun..’ Without bothering to offer much more of an explanation, taking his cues from Sehun, who seemed to have forgotten about the others completely, and was tugging at Tao, claiming compensation for having made him wait ‘in the cold for so long, just because you want to make a competitive sport out of day dreaming at random spots’, Tao waved to them in a blasé, off hand manner, ignoring Kris’ widening glare, and Jongin’s utterly confused look, as he followed Sehun over to..

‘Haha, very funny.’

Sehun looked up at Tao from the ice-cream freezer he had been buried in, his face quizzical.

‘You don’t  _really_  mean to eat ice cream, do you, not in this weather’

Sehun grinned at him then, that irresistible smile, sending sparks of desire through Tao, as he turned back to carefully considering and then rejecting Cookies and Cream, Pecan Surprise, Blueberry swirl, and Butterscotch Delite, before settling on two tubs of Double chocolate with Chocolate chips.

‘You owe me.’ Sehun voice was husky and somehow intimate, as he winked at Tao, handing him the tubs, and linking his arm through his, he pulled him towards the check-out counter.

‘You’re crazy’  Mentally throwing up his hands, Tao let himself be dragged over to the proprietor, who was bundled up in what looked like yards of faux fur, 3 inch thick pink muffs fastened over his ears. Giving up any attempt to verbally communicate with the gap-toothed beaming old man, Tao politely placed a ￥50 note on the counter, waving away the change, and handed the carrier bag with the ice cream to Sehun.

Suddenly flustered, confusion striking him as to how much Sehun knew, and how and why he had suddenly shown up at the exact perfect moment…( _again_ )Tao bowed formally to him. ‘Well..er.. thanks. Goodnight’, hiding behind the convenient veneer of etiquette, Tao turned back to the racks of produce, looking for the vegetables..

‘Huh?’

Sehun moved into his line of vision, frowning at Tao, his tongue moving to lick his lips.

‘Watcha doing, Taozi?’

‘I’m getting stuff for dinner, my Mom se-‘

Sehun chuckled, grabbing Tao’s arm, and looking at him like  _he_ was the crazy one. ‘Perhaps you didn’t understand the 'Owing Me' part?’

‘Sehun-sshi, I have to get back, my Mom’s waiting for this stuff’ Even to Tao, his voice lacked conviction, as he let Sehun drag him out of the store.

As they walked along the cold streets, Sehun matching him step for step, his arm still linked through Tao, playfully swinging the bag of ice cream to and fro in his other hand, Tao felt a thrill of something akin to giddy bliss pulsing through him. For the first time in a week, he felt.. free. Light, like little bubbles of helium were filling his chest.

Maybe for the first time ever.

They turned a corner, and below them, the lights of the city spread out like a glittering, magical blanket, as far as the eye could see.. twinkling, sparkling, winking.. the chilly wind that wrapped around them seemed to enhance the surrealism captured in that unbelievable beauty. And just at the edge of the horizon..a blackness darker than the starless sky – the ocean, the sound of its waves clear and loud in the stillness of the glacial evening.

‘Waa!! So pretty!!’ The girlish tones left his lips, before Tao could stop the words. Horrified, he looked down at the blond head, now resting on his shoulder. He had totally slipped up, he, Huang Zitao, unimpeachable tough-guy, virtually squealing like a little girl!!

But fortunately, there was no response from his little elf, and Tao internally heaved a sigh of relief. He hadn’t noticed, thank goodness. Nervousness still marking his voice, and making it gruffer than he intended, he pulled his arm away from Sehun, to ask, ‘Where are all your disciples today, did everyone unsubscribe from the Lord-Sehun Religion?’

Sehun half-turned to him, a smirk outlining his lips ( _for crying out loud, did he_ have  _to keep licking them like he did, it was_ so  _difficult to focus when those rosy, glistening invitingly wet arches were that close to you )_ , his eyes sparkling mischievously, and  _his_ voice teasing and playfully unconcerned  as it twisted up at Tao. ‘Are you complaining?’

_Anyone else would have taken his tone to be mean, and rude, and severe and even malicious._

_And when Tao, looking and acting the way he did, turned mean, everyone always tried to get away as quickly as possible._

_But this kid…How could he see through Tao so easily?_

_How could he know that Tao was all bark, and no bite?_

Inexplicably, instead of turning defensive, or annoyed at how easily he had been read, or trying to compensate by getting angry, Tao felt a chuckle bubble through his lips he didn’t even attempt to stifle. Turning back to the vista spread before them, he slid his arm through Sehun’s, linking them together again, and pulling him close as they stood for a moment at the crest of the hill, the night imbued with even more magic and mystery and wonder.

Softly, as they moved away, and walked down the road, Tao whispered, so quietly it was almost to himself, ‘ Nope, not at all.’

 In reply, Sehun only slipped his hand into Tao’s pocket, weaselling his fingers into his mittens, and wrapping his fingers around Tao’s.

 

 

That is, till they had crossed two more streets, and he suddenly burst out into whoops and bellows of laughter, bending almost double in glee, before wiping his eyes and rubbing his face in an astonished, and totally bemused, Tao’s chest.

‘Huh?!!’ Lost, Tao just stared dumbly at the shaking head cradled in his chest. Reaching up quickly, Sehun landed a sharp peck on Tao’s lips, giggling again before dancing away into the gate and up the stairs of his rented apartment, swinging the bag of ice cream.

 

‘Huuuuhhhhh??!!’

 

Coming up behind him just as he was unlocking the door, Tao pulled at Sehun’s collar. ‘What was that for??!’

 

Sehun turned and grinned at him. ‘Can’t help it, Mr.Class Rep-gexia is just so incredibly  _cute_!!’

_‘CUTE???!!!!!!!!’_

At Tao’s roar, Sehun just went off into another fit of giggles, darting into the door, and running to his room, chased by all 183 cm and 63 kilos of annoyed Wushu Captain. Grabbing him just as he reached the door of his bedroom, Tao swung him around, before sliding his wiggling fingers into his shirt.

‘Whose the cute one, eh, who exactly is the cute one?’

He playfully growled at the boy, tickling him mercilessly, as Sehun gasped and spluttered, wheezing incoherently, as he struggled to escape from the taller, arguably much stronger, Tao.

 

‘Ta…Tao-zi..stop…ice..cream Taozi!’

 

Finally taking pity on the boy in his arms, who was laughing so hard there were tears streaming down his cheeks, (and partly coz he was overcome by his own laughter), Tao relaxed his arms, letting the huffing blond slide down to the floor, and sprawled down next to him, pulling off his parka, and beanie, (his mittens having been disposed off much earlier).

 

‘Ah!’ Sehun pointed at Tao’s neck, where one of the tubs had come open in their struggle, and smeared a globe of coca-flavoured sweetness. It was so cold in the apartment, despite the heat flooding into them from their little war, that Tao hadn’t even noticed the additional coldness against his skin. He reached for his pocket, to pull out his handkerchief and wipe it off, but Sehun beat him to it – leaning over him on all fours, he bent his head down, and before Tao realised what he was doing, he licked off the dark brown trail in a single, suckling movement. As he sat back, grinning smugly at Tao, the thrilling pulsations of desire and hunger ringing through him turned up to a crescendo. Without considering how out of character this whole thing was for him, (or maybe the tickle combat had scrambled his internal sensors completely,  _Huang Zitao doing something like that was totally impossible_ )  Tao stretched forward, deliberately pulling out the tub of Double Chocolate from the bag, screwed off the half-open top completely, and dipped his finger in. The cold leeched sensation from his finger tip, painfully numbing it. Somehow, this ache served only to accentuate his arousal, and Tao scooped out a large blob, and in one smooth motion pushed Sehun over, pulled up his tee, and deposited the icy portion right into his belly button. As the slender waist contracted spasmodically, and the lovely voice squealed and giggled and moaned all at once, Tao proceeded to slowly, sedulously, scoop his tongue in and out, slurping up the chocolate. The next thing he knew, he was on his back (Huh. The kid was way stronger than he looked, even given the weakness that spread through Tao’s joints with the escalating desire) and Sehun, without further ado, directly shook the tub over his chest, landing two piles of ice cream right over Tao nipples. The now almost unbearable wet chill, heightened by the freeze boring into him from the wooden floor, seeped through his Tee shirt…

He could almost see his skin turning blue..

But at the same time, the frosty blobs sent needles of heat rippling through him, straight through his nipples, down to his groin, and he was swelling, and going unbearably hard in his acid-washed jeans…

Then, any residual thoughts of cold vanished, as Sehun lapped at the mounds of chocolate, pausing to snap up a  bit of chocolate chip in his front teeth, and moving over to drop it into Tao’s parted lips, before sliding down again to lick and suckle alternatively at both his nipples.

Groaning now, Tao pushed his classmate off, and wrenched off Sehun’s tee, stopping momentarily to take his spectacles off, and toss them onto Sehun’s bed, he reversed their positions again, with Sehun back to being supine on the floor. Tao dumped the entire tub over him, leading in one line from the hollow of his collar bones, down his chest, with circles around Sehun’s nipples this time, then continuing down… below his belly button… As Tao slurped the ice cream, he could taste the beads of sweat that were forming on Sehun’s body, despite the chill.. Somehow, that salty tang implausibly made the ice cream taste all the better…

Abruptly, convinced he could bear it no longer, Tao pushed off Sehun’s pants, pulling out that aroused, gleaming, engorged dick that had him spasming with desire and arousal just at the sight, and quickly grabbing the remaining tub of Double Chocolate, dumped a heap over it, making Sehun scream at the shock and pain of the sudden chill of the air on his exposed penis , exponentially increased by the frozen treat, his balls now turning almost blue-black – but only for an instant, before Tao slid it all, right upto the base, into his mouth. The Brain freeze from the cold seemed to suppress his gag reflex perfectly, and he slurped up all the ice cream, snapping his head back and forth, taking Sehun’s entire length in…

Feeling the smooth surface of his glans against Tao’s tonsils… Tao felt a frenzy explode in him – he wanted him,  _wanted_ him, wanted even more of him.. so bad…

Pulling away, Tao replenished the covering of ice cream around Sehun’s now unbelievably enlarged cock, then thrust it all the way in his mouth again, pounding his head over it, his hand kneading Sehun’s balls..stroking his inner thighs..pinching them, making him yelp between his panting screams

Sehun had never imagined anything could feel like this.. the pain and the pleasure, and the cold outside, and his insides burning..his voice was no longer under his control, he could feel the lines of drool slipping down his chin as he panted and moaned, and outright screamed with the pleasure running through him.. but he couldn’t do anything about it..

Sehun was sitting up now, his back against the footboard of his bed.. Tao lying flat on his stomach, his head between Sehun’s thighs…

Sehun’s hands scrabbling against Tao’s shoulders, gauging welts even through his Tee..

Unable to take it any longer, Sehun finally managed to push Tao up, kissing his lips and mouth.. and he could taste the chocolate on Tao’s tongue..the chocolate.. and himself.. the mingled taste ridiculously erotic..As he ripped of Tao’s shirt and jeans, he pushed him down, then climbed over him, his buttocks raised for an instant.. then his fingers moving around Tao’s as they both frenetically positioned Tao’s dick perfectly, before Sehun thrust himself down, impaling himself on the larger boy’s rigid cock.. the pain ripping through him, his muscles clenched inflexibly, squeezing Tao within his narrow, velvety, but impenetrable passage… Both of them growling in an agony of ecstasy, before Sehun pulled up.. then thrust himself down again…

Harder and faster…

Tao’s hips jerking forward, matching his thrusts…

Tao’s fingers pressing into his butt, Sehun’s thighs gripping his forearms..

The waves of pleasure rose and fell through them, rising higher and higher…

And then finally, Tao’s fingers pressed convulsively into Sehun’s flesh, and he jolted upwards, spilling himself right inside Sehun. The feel of that wet fullness..deep inside him… the utter violation pushed Sehun right over too, and he collapsed over Tao, coming in shooting jets that covered both of them

Panting, gasping for breath, feeling like they’d run a cross country marathon over two states and an ocean, the boys fell apart, weak and deliciously spent.

 

 

 

 

The next instant, a loud peal cut through the apartment, as Tao’s phone blared, even the ringtone sounding utterly angry and annoyed.

‘OhFuck!’ Panic slicing through him, Tao jumped up, madly pulling aside clothes and limbs (Sehun was somehow bizarrely completely calm, watching Tao out of one half-closed eye, his body curled sleepily on the floor) as he searched for his phone. Wrenching it free from under Sehun, he quickly checked the caller id – sure enough, it was his mom. Stuffing the still blaring phone into the pocket of his jeans, he clumsily tried to stuff his legs into them, tripping over twice in his alarm. ‘I was supposed to be getting groceries for dinner, I’m  _so_ screwed, Hun-ah, whats the time?’

Sehun languorously stretched one head to glance at his table clock.

‘8:45 pm..’

‘DammitdammitDammit’

Tao shoved on his glasses, and reached across Sehun to grab his tee – then suddenly, all the flustered tension went out of him, as Sehun slid his palms against his cheeks, and drew him in, kissing him deeply, and slowly, and thoroughly. ‘Does this mean you’re not gonna spend the night?’

Tao chuckled against his Sehun’s lips. ‘No, dumbhead, it means I’m probably gonna be grounded for a year’

‘Even though you just got lost on the way to the store?’

Tao hooted. ‘Like she’ll buy that, I’m not five’

Feeling totally calm and in control now, Tao pulled his Tee over his head, then put on his parka and beanie, and taking one last look at Sehun, who was now sleepily rubbing his eyes, he started to step out of the room, making his way to the front door.

‘Don’t sleep on the floor, idiot, get into bed’

‘Theres an umbrella next to the entrance’ Sehun called out to him.

‘Huh?’ Tao put his head back in, looking quizzically at the blonde  

Sehun waved his hand towards the window. Tao followed his long fingers with his gaze.

White fluffy flakes crystallized outside the window panes, drifting and dancing in the wind.

The snows had finally come.

‘Waa!! It’s snowing!!’ Excited, Tao rushed back into the room, running towards the window, pressing his nose up against it. ‘Hun-ah, Hun-ah it’s snowing It’s so pretty!!!!!!!!’

There was silence for a moment, then Sehun burst out laughing. ‘Omg, I can’t… you are just too precious!! Gawd, I love you, Zitao-sama!!’

Somehow, Tao no longer felt even the slightest bit of embarrassment around the new kid. It was like.. like he was somehow.. _somehow.._ a part of him, like he was a couple of layers closer to him than anyone else on the planet.. like he didn’t need any masks, any walls to stand between them…

Tao turned and grinned cheekily at Sehun, blowing a kiss at him theatrically, before rushing out.

 

It was only as he hefted the grocery bags stuffed to the brim with his Mom’s requirements (and after ignoring 4 missed calls from her in just the space of time it had taken him to select the vegetables), that Tao realised in the confusion, he had pulled on Sehun’s tee instead of his, oddly not realising it till that moment, despite the difference in their sizes.

The knowledge filled him like a spongy pastry, deliciously warm, and light and fluffy.

He had no idea why it should, of course, but it was like…

The whole situation was like.. a fun secret, right…

This thought kept him buoyed all through the yelling (thankfully no grounding) that followed, and for some odd reason, he kept it on as he tumbled into bed, pulling it up to stuff his face into it. He never ever slept in anything other than one of his custom tailored pyjama sets with 100% cotton blend.. but he had never ever slept as well as he did that night, the faint scent of Sehun’s perfume, and sweat threading through him, as, outside his window, the first snow continued to glide magnificently to earth.

  

 

* * *

 

Chinese guide

Xiansheng - gentleman, equivalent of 'Mr.' // kinda like..if Tao was a kid who acted up, referring to himself with a honorific... i thought it would be cute..

Gexia - literally means 'beneath your pavilion'. Used when addressing important people, or to show respect to the person [Sehun using it here is him exaggerating Tao's importance - ya know, to tease him] 

Nainai - 'Grandma' used for elderly women.. (*orz wtf is this, ths is  _exactly_ how you pronounce my name, omg, if i were in China, my name would be 'grandma')))))) 

Xiao - prefix to names to mean 'little' (ok everyone knew this, lol, we've all been saying Xiao Lu for a reason all this while, but, here i used 'Xiao-er', which means something like, 'Little son' its just a really cute term of endearment)

 

So, about that 'Spot' at the top of the hill ~~ The interview came out like, half a year after i wrote this chp, but i'm thoroughly gonna go ahead and plagiarise the boys, coz, add a friggin black night ocean far top right, and this is pretty much exactly how i pictured it ~~ Bugak Skywalk at night.

  
  
[the celebrity]

Sehun says when things get difficult or if he's happy he goes to Bugak Skyway with Tao-hyung.

Sehun: We go there at midnight when you can see the whole surroundings and there are no people around.Its like we have all the time we want.

 

cr: @sehunownsme

 

  
And of course, cue Tao~~

  
  
  
T^T. ps. the Han River = riverside, ya know, see chapter one~~ ToT


	4. Chapter Four

The next day, Tao overslept – something that had  _never_ occurred before, and still shocked at this unthinkable happening, he barely managed to hurtle into class minutes before Yixing Laoshi (sending the entire class into gasps and frowns; Zitao-jun being late was akin to the discovery that Godzilla was real, or that mecha robots were taking over the city). He quickly regained his composure however, as Yixing Laoshi set them to solving worksheets on indirect speech, an area Tao was supremely confident in.

In fact..oddly enough, it seemed like this morning.. He was even better than usual, his mind latching onto patterns and idea quicker and sharper than usual..

Incongruous, considering he had, for the first time since kindergarten, spent an entire Sunday doing not one ounce of work. 

 

Tao was still filling in his notes, when Yixing Sensei left at the bell (pausing to stand and lead the class in bowing, before setting to it again) .Everyone else heaved a sigh of relief at the end of the most difficult period of the day, and a wave of relaxation settling over the room, as they chattered amongst themselves, waiting for Chen Laoshi, their laidback, friendly Math teacher to arrive. Mai, who sat just behind Tao’s first row seat, had just leaned forward to ask him something, when -

‘ZITAO-JUN!!!’

The completely unexpected voice had him snapping up, jerking around in his chair to stare at the blonde boy in the second row from the back, and diagonally behind Tao, who had one hand casually resting on the windowsill beside his table, and some sort of small bundle clutched in the other hand, which he was now waving at Tao.

‘You left this over at my place last night’

In the total and absolute silence that greeted this announcement, the slight whistle of the air could be heard, as Sehun chucked his tee shirt at him. Tao caught it reflexively, as he, and the whole class, stared speechlessly at the Tee  in his hand. His mind scrambling in a panic, dread coursing through him, Tao looked up at Sehun, fear leaking from every pore – this was it, his worst nightmare, finally coming true right in front of him.

Sehun grinned cheekily at him, for a moment, then inclined his head politely, ‘Aah~ I’m sorry I split the tea on you, Zitao-jun, even though you came so far, just to help me with physics!’

‘Eeeehhh, that’s what it was!’ ‘Oyoy, Sehun, Physics tutoring??!!’ ‘Physics with Zitao-jun, Sehun, are you alright?!!’ ‘Ah! It must’ve been really tough!’ ‘Poor Sehun, what a way to spend your one-day holiday!’

 

As the others turned to Sehun, teasing him and joking, their surprise forgotten, Tao held his eyes a fraction longer, glaring, his gaze promising retribution.

 

Sehun just sketched a wink at him, almost seeming to stick his tongue out at him, before moving to join Xiumin who was dancing at the back of the class, to a track Lu Han was playing on his mp3, to the cheers of the general population.

His anger and annoyance suddenly dissipating, Tao couldn’t stop the grin that tugged at his lips, as he growled under his breath, ‘I’m gonna  _kill_ him!’

He quickly stopped mid-sentence, though – Mai was close enough to have heard, and he glanced back at her, worried. But he needn’t have minded, Mai was beaming up at him, and then proceeding to espouse on how kind and generous he was, even taking the time to help out someone like Sehun, despite the repeated provocations.

 

‘Provocation’ was right, Tao thought, but obviously for reasons entirely different from what she imagined.

 

As usual, Chen Laoshi took an easy, fun class, trying his hardest to make sure every student understood, and going out of his way to make the topic interesting – and kinda succeeding, a remarkable feat, considering he was teaching trigonometry. Still, by the end of the hour, cheers rose from the back benches as the bell rang (Chen Laoshi only grinned – he well knew it was the dry subject the kids disliked, not him personally) and everyone took the opportunity to stretch and move around for a bit before the next class, a large group forming around the heater in the corner. Despite the predictions that the temperature would rise once it started snowing, there had been no discernible warming, and everyone was glad of the central heating plus individual radiators and heaters in each room of the school building.  Tao stayed in his seat, as Bo Xian and Chan Ye, members of the Wushu club with him, and somewhat-friends, milled around his table, discussing the latest tournament match, where they had taken a clean sweep of all the rounds, more than qualifying their school for the provincial championships.

‘Next time, it’s a tornado!’

‘What..did you just say…’

‘The Taolu round I  _almost_ got it, I just didn’t do it, coz..ya know, ‘Stick-to-the-routine’ and all that..but I was  _this_ close’

Chen ye held up his hand, fingers pinched into a number seven, affecting a pose straight out of an Italian Mafia movie, setting Bo Xian off into whoops.

‘Oh, that was an attempt at a tornado? I thought you suddenly had stomach cramps on the mat’

‘OY!! I  _did_ almost do it, tell him Diuzhang!’

Tao glanced up at them and nodded vigorously, his eyes wide.

‘Yes, omg, he actually almost did, it was sooo cool!!! ’

His almost (dare I say it)  _squealed_ response had both of them staring at him in utter shock.

‘Zitao Diuzhang…??!!!’

Chan Ye burst out into a high pitched ‘Huuuhhh?’ while Bo Xian still gaped in bemusement

Their usual conversations consisted of the two of them goofing around, and Tao totally ignoring them..till, of course, he got annoyed and snapped at them. Never… _ever_ had he…

[This was  _mindblowing..._ but there was more - ]

Suddenly looking serious, Tao earnestly turned to Chan Ye ‘ To be honest, a Tornado will be even more difficult for you, your arms and legs are so long… but you actually almost managed it!! You can  _totally_ get it, we’ll ask Sensei to help today evening’

Ending with an grin, his face…actually.. _cute_ , Tao turned back to shuffling through his notes, looking for last week’s trig – there, got it. He tossed it over his shoulder onto Mai’s table, ‘Here are the problems you  _have_ to pay attention to’.

Humming under his breath, he proceeded to pull out the neglected algebra workbook – hopefully he’d have time for at least one question before next period…

 

 

It was a full two minutes later, that he noticed the absolute silence that had descended over everyone in the vicinity.

 

Luckily, Su Ho Laoshi came in right then, and everyone climbed back into their seats, pulling out their history books (the principal loved History, it was his pet subject, and he insisted on taking over the history classes every now and then, from their regular teacher, D.O Laoshi. Unlike D.O Laoshi, who pretty much the entire student body was secretly terrified of, Su Ho Laoshi was so absent minded and so easily won over by a sincere smile and polite manners, that everyone looked forward eagerly to these rare reprieves). Kicking himself mentally, Tao led the class in their ‘Stand, Bow’, and sat down grumpily.

_What the fuck was wrong with him!!!_

He was slipping.

He had an  _image,_ an identity he had made and preserved all this while without the slightest glitch. He was serious, diligent, painstaking, reliable – yes, he was thoughtful, and friendly, but in the manner of a leader to his followers. And just then..he had…

He had just behaved like a friggin  _girl_

Su Ho Laoshi paced through the room, picking people to read bits of the text at random, which he then proceeded to explain.

‘Ah, Mr.Oh, why don’t you take the next paragraph’

As the confident voice skipped easily over the passage, Tao knew  _exactly_ who was at fault for his recent lapse.

Even though the feeling was tinged heavily with a sort of… fondness _,_ and a thrill that tugged at him, at the thought of being..  _indulgent_ with the kid…like..(Tao blushed unconsciously at the thought) like a lenient, doting Top, he still thoroughly appreciated the risk he was facing.

He  _could NOT endanger his reputation._

 

Something had to be done.

 

 

 

 

Tao’s chance came in the second to last period of the day – PE. The boys all filed into the locker room next to the basketball courts to change into their PE clothes (the girls were at the pool; they alternated swim classes with the guys every week). Tao headed straight to his usual locker, pulling off his tie and blazer on the way. Shoving his gym bag into the shelf, he quickly unbuttoned his shirt, and tossed it in unceremoniously, hurriedly dragging on his tank before anyone could notice the welts over his back, now angry and red (He’d basically spent all day pushing against the back of his chair, making them smart and sting, enjoying the memory of how Sehun’s fingers and raking nails had created each scratch). He then stayed where he was, fiddling around in his bag, killing time, carefully watching the others from the corner of his eye. As expected, Sehun took a second longer than the rest, fixing his fringe in the mirror a fraction after the others had all changed and left. As he followed them, he passed right by Tao, and had one foot out the door when Tao grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

Slamming him against the wall beside the door, Tao pushed his face against his.

‘What the fuck was that about?!’

Sehun raised wide innocent eyes to his, tilting his head to one side, his mouth gaping.

‘What was what about?’

_Oh for goodness sake, that had been his very best ‘AngryGrowl’, and this boy was totally unshaken._

‘Stop playing stupid, the tee shirt!’

Sehun grinned at him, then slowly pushed his tongue out, and drew it over his lower lip.

‘And stop doing that, I know you’re doing it on purpose!!’

‘Huhh?’

Sehun played at being naïve and ingenuous for a moment longer, before a fit of giggles hit him. Still shaking, he slid both arms around Tao’s neck, and pressed his body to his.

‘I must say, Mr.Class Rep, assaulting me in the lockers is  _way_ more daring than anything I may have done with your Tee shirt’

His breath was hot against Tao’s cheek, and that, combined with the feel of his body, supple and toned and warm, evoked an instant response from Tao’s body.

Groaning, Tao thrust himself away and turned his back on him. Maybe it was safer after all, to just let this slide.

‘Huh. As expected. The great spineless Wushu captain strikes again.’

His tones suddenly utterly mocking, Sehun straightened, and pulled his collar to.

‘Maybe  _I_ need to learn a tornado, or whatever..’

Throwing an absolutely scornful look back, he turned to leave the lockers again.

In an instant, two thoughts flashed through Tao’s mind – One, he had heard that? Even though Tao had seen Sehun chatting with Lu Han during that time..

And Two, he was purposely goading him wasn’t he?

This was quickly chased away by a much more insistent need – the cold ice that shafted through him at Sehun’s disdainful tones collided with the riot of hot desire he already held bottled up – and that, along with the already aggressive feelings that had been churning in him all day created a mixture that was pretty explosive.

Reaching out to clutch a handful of his gym tee, Tao  _yanked_ an astonished Sehun back, hauling him past the rows of lockers, through the glass sliding door at the end, into the showers, throwing him against the tiled wall, as he shut and locked the door to the tiny cubicle he had brought them to, his muscles clenching and bulging, his forearm thrown up, the exultation in his own body at that moment leaving far behind that he felt while in the throes of even the best Wushu drill.

One stride and he was pressed into Sehun, one hand gripping his hair, the other flat on the wall beside him, pinning him with his body, and his towering presence. A smirk quirking his lips, he bent down, to look up at the Sehun’s face, which Sehun held bent down, his chin demurely touching his chest..he was chewing his lower lip.. and then his fingers reached up to pluck at Tao’s forearms… hesitantly…

In reply, Tao clenched the hand he had in his hair, and roughly yanked his head up, stretching out that long, slender, perfectly spotless, delicate porcelain neck, the muscle standing out.. totally defenceless..shatteringly enticing

Tao violently mauled at it with his teeth, just stopping short of breaking the skin, kissing and suckling and worrying at it… Sehun’s hands gripping him tightly now, the nails digging into the soft skin of his inner forearms… Moving up, along his jawline, Tao bit sharply at his ear lobe, then slammed roughly into his mouth, his tongue plunging in.. ravaging…

Abruptly, he pulled away, one step back taking him to the opposite wall, against which he leaned, supreme casual confidence, his arms crossed, one leg bent at the knee, so his shoe rested against the wall, as he looked at Sehun, whose arms were still raised, his mouth open, blinking in sudden loss and confusion

Only Tao’s huskily shaking voice betrayed him as he smirked at Sehun. ‘Take your clothes off.’

Gasping at Tao now, Sehun stood frozen for a moment, then the colour flooded through him, as he looked down, his gaze fixed on the floor, as he shyly gripped his tee shirt at the bottom, pulling it off like a girl, his arms crossing… He dropped it gently on the floor..

Then, his hands trembling…

He slid his fingers into the elastic band at the waist of his shorts…

His breath hitching…

He slid them off, his arms twisting in front him as he stood in front of Tao in his boxers, his arousal clearly visible, shifting from foot to foot, his face turned fixedly down

‘All of it!’ Tao forced the words out of teeth that were clenched, his heart pounding in his head, and in his groin, the sharp heat of desire, like poison, drugging through his veins, overwhelming him

Sehun’s face snapped up at the words, his eyes glazed with desire and entreaty.

Their gazes sparked and held…

Then Tao’s eyes were irresistibly drawn to Sehun’s hands as he slowly..reached down…

And slid off the final piece, his boxers fluttering slightly to heap on the floor at his feet..

For an instant, he stood totally naked, totally vulnerable.. his engorged dick erect and thrusting proudly into the air, his face hidden as he shyly looked away again, the red spilling all over his cheeks and neck..

Then Tao’s control snapped, and he hurtled forward, crashing into Sehun, the force banging then against the wall, in a tangle of limbs and panting breaths and desperate grappling tongues, their hands racking over each other completely out of control, tearing and ripping and pulling and clutching, Tao’s clothes torn from his body, his already fogged up glasses flying, scratches covering both their torsos…

 

 

One of them accidently knocked against the knob pressed into the wall, and the showerhead above them turned on, water pouring over them, drenching them, ratcheting the arousal up impossibly  even higher

Layering nips and little bites along the trial of the streams of water that were running down his body, Sehun moved along Tao, finally wrapping his tongue around his red and swollen cock, licking along the margin of his foreskin, teasingly for a second, before Tao, his arousal almost agony, grasped Sehun’s hair, his fingers flexing powerfully, as he thrust right into the warm inviting wetness of Sehun’s mouth, which somehow contrasted so very erotically from the jets of water spraying over them…

Sehun pounded his mouth in rhythm with Tao’s thrusts, the water splashing off of their heaving bodies in glittering arcs, Tao’s hands painfully clenched tightly into Sehun’s hair, as he thrust deeper and deeper, harder and harder..

Sehun’s eyes widened in the assault, streams of spit, thicker than the flowing water, dripping off his chin, as his gag reflex went into overdrive… Yet he stepped up the pace himself, his mind feeling like it would break under the sheer pleasure ripping through him at the ferocity

The knowledge that the door of the cubicle stopped a good way above the floor, and anyone coming in would easily get a good enough view to catch onto them, that the rest of their class was just outside, on the court.. that both of them would be very easily missed… these thoughts, at the back of both their minds, acted like an aphrodisiac they really didn’t need

The last vestiges of his control breaking apart entirely, Tao jerked Sehun up, and slammed him face first into the wall, Sehun crying out now, as his dick, throbbing and burning in its enlarged need collided roughly with the unyielding cold tiles. Tao sadistically pushed his hips even harder forward for an instant, before his nails dug into the crack between his butt, wrenching it apart forcefully, his hands firm and powerful... the water poured in, running along the crack, pooling over his anus, that already felt impossibly molten...liquid.... Sehun turned his neck as far as he could, frantically searching for Tao’s lips, and Tao, just as urgently, covered his mouth with his, a fraction of a second before, without the slightest bit of preparation, he thrust his cock straight into Sehun’s narrow, clenching anus, all the way in, in one powerful movement, burying himself completely right upto the base..

Sehun  _screamed_  into Tao’s mouth, his hips convulsing reflexively, banging against the wall in front, than rebounding onto Tao, the movement thrusting Tao’s dick even that last impossible millimetre further in, the water swivelling its way inwards too, making the squelching sound ridiculously loud...

The shower pouring over their faces made their already laboured breathing even harder, and the illusion of suffocation added yet another layer to the already potent cocktail of pleasure intoxicating them..as it poured relentlessly, tortuously over their extra-sensitive bodies, trickling between their legs.. 

The ecstasy and pain pushing them into a frenzy, Tao bucked with all his strength, thrusting wildly in and out, pushing his entire length inside each time, aggressively brutalizing Sehun, plundering into him, slamming right into his sweet spot, wedging it against Tao’s hard shaft, and the rest of his prostrate each time....and each time, the water splattered violently off them to rocket onto the flimsy door in a battery of bullets that echoed their movements, creating an erotic staccato beat.. ridiculously sexy as it pounded above the loud wet squelches of each thrust.... 

He braced himself with one hand that was gripped tightly against Sehun’s own, plastering it against the wall, Sehun’s knuckles being skinned raw with each collision that had him banging against the white tiles

Sehun’s other hand clenched around his own dick, pounding along with Tao’s thrusts, and Tao reached the fingers of his free hand to join in, squeezing and fisting.. moving to strongly grasp his balls.. eliciting another yelp that was muffled by his tongue in Sehun’s mouth…

Incredibly, their splurging excitement had them gluttonously increasing the rate of their heaving clashes, into one last series of heightened thrusts. Then, just when both of them felt like they would  _die_ from the intensity of the sensations, both of them exploded, arcs of viscous cum squirting over the wall, and dripping out of Sehun’s anus, in long syrupy threads trickling over his thighs, matching the gelatinous line of spit that linked Tao’s mouth to his, as they finally broke apart

Too breathless even to pant, both of them dropped, slamming into the floor, completely wiped out, exhausted physically, and mentally, and probably even emotionally..

Tao felt like his muscles and nerves where running down the drain along with the swirling water (mixed with their mingled cum) and from Sehun’s perfect imitation of a floppy doll next to him, he wasn’t the only one

For a few minutes, all that could be heard was the patter of the raining water, and their heaving breaths.

‘C’mon, we have to get out’ Tao flicked a finger at Sehun’s head

The blonde, his hair dark now, thanks to the wet, turned slightly to grin at him

‘yeah, I have to note it down’

‘.. Note it down..?’

Sehun mimed writing a memo

‘Magic words = Spineless Wushu captain. For future reference, ya know, I’ll be needing it again..’

Tao burst out laughing, then wheezed, clutching his aching sides, and punched Sehun’s shoulder in mock-indignation

‘Just so you know this is all your fault’ He groaned ‘I even have club today!!’

‘Eehh~~ maybe I should come cheer you on’ Sehun managed to gasp out, once he was done thoroughly whooping over his imaginings of Tao’s misery at going through the arduous Wushu drills after  _this_.  

‘Please don’t.’

‘Why not?!’ Sehun sat up, pouting cutely, and straddled Tao. ‘I’m sure you’d do  _much_ better if you had me cheering you on!!’

Tao grinned at his earnest face, and lightly reached up to stroke his hair

‘Maybe, but then I’d be dead, murdered by all of Lord Sehun’s jealous disciples’

‘Shuttup, I’m not.. theyr not…’

Pouting harder, Sehun leaned forward, and lightly feathered kisses on Tao’s lips

Tao pulled him in, and kissed him tenderly, deeply, once; before pushing him gently away and getting up, reaching for his clothes

‘Oh,  _Prince_ Sehun and his followers, then?’

His comment was lost in the howl of laughter that escaped Sehun as he finally found his tank, and held it up, preparing to pull it on – it was literally ripped, a jagged tear running down the length

Tao bit back his own laughter, feeling rather smug, but exerting all his control over his features as he turned to scowl at Sehun…

Who only laughed harder.

Tao sighed.

‘Next time, I’m  _tying_ your hands’

Sehun stuck his tongue out at him, grinning cheekily, but then a rosy tinge started to creep over his face, calling out an answering one on Tao’s

‘eermm.. hrmmm… we should  _really_ get going’ Tao spoke while clearing his throat, the sudden shyness making his words stick inside

Sehun nodded obediently this time, and got up

 

Luckily, by the time they headed out (Tao once again in Sehun’s clothes, having borrowed his spare Tee) a fierce match was going on on the court, Lu Han facing off against Chan Ye, Bo Xian and Xiumin, his amazing skills making the one-on-three game superbly thrilling. Tao and Sehun took the opportunity to join the cheering crowds milling around, (of course, at opposite ends of the room), and miraculously, no one noticed they hadn’t been there all along.

 

 

* * *

 

Taohun in the shower, inspired by Tao's ongoing need for 'company' while...washing....himself...(♡ >ω< ♡), and esp by that moment on happy camp, when we accidentally found out just  _who_ is his top pick for shower companion...soapsud buddy....loofah sharing nakidness... 

 

**Host: What’s the advantage and disadvantage of living together?**

**Suho: Firstly, the disadvantage is that there are many people but not a lot of bathrooms, so it gets tiring when washing up. The advantage is that, like, for Tao who can’t shower alone or sleep alone, with Sehun he doesn’t feel lonely.This is the best thing (about living together).**

 

 

Chinese guide

roflmao!! bwahahahaha, i  _can't....._

i cannot

tao.... 

_Tao being called Diuzhang...._

kekekekekekekekekekekekke omg why is this so hilarious!!!!

 

Onto more imp things~~ 

wet! Sehun

wet! Tao

 

 

Sehun claimin Wet Tao~~

 

 


	5. Chapter FIve

It was probably the first time that Tao paid attention to something like this – usually he spent the PE period lounging against the bleachers and the only thing that got a raise out of him was in case someone showed signs of potentially being good material for tagging into the Wushu club. He really couldn’t be bothered about such things as basketball or athletic heats – Wushu was soo far above all this! In fact.. he probably hadn’t played around on the court with his classmates even once since graduating elementary school.. it had always seemed like such a pointless waste of time.

 

But now..

 

Watching Lu Han dribble expertly, Bo Xian stepping up to attempt a tackle - but Lu Han feinting splendidly to the left, stepping right around Xiumin, his movements enchanting.. almost like he was dancing…

Sehun chanting his name from the sidelines…

The hoots of complaint from the defending three..

And the exultant cheers as Lu Han leapt up and dunked the ball, the net swishing triumphantly as he turned and punched his fist into the air - 

Had Tao wishing he could play too

 

Sehun was right at the edge of the court and he jumped over Lu Han, banging his shoulders, cheering the loudest..

 

It was a strange longing that rippled through the watching Tao, and when the wave passed, it left something inside him uncomfortably out of place. One of the things that had made him notice Kris in the first place was the enthralling way he dominated the neighbourhood court, mercilessly thrashing all comers.. but that had never ever translated into a yearning to play himself, nor for that matter, had it ever been about the game – his feelings at the time had been more of, ‘Wow, that guy is so cool’, as opposed to the sort of ‘that looks so much fun, I want to be a part of it too’ that pricked at him now….

 _Somehow, everything that was part of Sehun’s world seemed oddly more_ personal  _to him…_

When this thought dropped into his mind, he almost stumbled where he stood. Sehun was.. just… a STRANGER!! its not like…

Sure they had..ya know, but that didn’t mean there was anything between them or anything!! Quite the opposite, actually, there was no connection between them at all!! In fact, he was arguably closer to Bo Xian or Chan Ye or Mai, for that matter…

 

 

Besides, everything he felt around Sehun was just utterly totally weird if you thought about it.. for the past few days.. he had been so unmotivated, ignoring his studies, slipping up with his ‘girly’ side in public.. he, who usually walked in his own bubble, ignoring much of the world, and almost fully unshakable, reacted so strongly and forcefully to every little thing that Sehun did…Even the slightest quirk of Sehun’s lips was enough to get him totally flustered….

 

There was no way this totally strange and awkward response meant anything other than that the whole thing was probably a really bad idea.

 

These thoughts were still whirling in his mind as the bell rang, signalling the last period of the day. As the boys trooped back to the lockers, Tao found himself hanging back, something almost sharply painful in his chest as he slowly followed well behind Lu Han, around whose waist Sehun had linked a hand, gesticulating vigorously as he ranted at him about something or the other…

Lu Han casually draping his arm around Sehun’s shoulder as he nodded, listening intently…While some way ahead of them, Bo Xian jumped slightly to hit the back of Chan Ye’s head, then giggled at his pained, ‘Whyyyy!’..

And right in front, Xiumin,  stopping to wait for Lu Han and Sehun…

 

 

Chen Laoshi was back for the second trig period of the day – but seeing the exhausted faces in front of him, he laughed, and as usual on Mondays, let them slack off, repeating once again how mean  _they_ were to schedule PE right before his class, of course, conveniently forgetting how he had actually been part of the group of teachers who had framed the time table in the first place…

A light snow had started falling by the time the final bell rang, and everyone bundled up warmly as they headed for their club activities. Of course, the few  _worthless ones, (_ as Tao secretly thought of them, but now more from force of habit than any actual desire to condemn them) who didn’t participate in any, only mocked gleefully , sarcastic about how fun it would be to do club in this wonderful weather, as they grabbed all of their stuff, readying to head home.

And the next instant, his vague annoyance was shattered by a sudden, totally unexpected, yet thoroughly potent surge of anger, that bolted through him, obliterating all rational thought.

At the back of the class, Sehun was chirping cutely and cheerily, his every sentence punctuated at least twice by the charmingly intoned ‘Luuuuu Han~~’ , as he carefully wrapped his muffler around Lu Han’s neck. As Tao watched the doe eyed, doll faced boy’s  graceful fingers lift, and ruffle through Sehun’s hair in response, his entire being turned into just one incoherent, primal cry; one swirling emotion that screamed through his every cell – GETOFFDON’TYOUDARETOUCH. _MINE._

 

Then the moment passed, and slowly unclenching the fist he had shoved his thigh, the marks of his nails visible on his palm, he stood, picking up his own bag. ‘Let’s go’ he called out to Bo Xian and Chan Ye, his voice only very slightly off, resolutely shoving that episode just now deep,  _deep_ inside, ---forcing his mind to suppress it completely--- and they headed out, collecting the other members on the way from various classrooms and corridors, till the full contingent of 19 were making their way through the courtyard to the Wushu club, Tao at the head. As usual, everyone they passed turned to look after them, the girls squealing and giggling. Seeing their famous Wushu club together, every member carefully vetted and each with a string of medals and trophies to their name, undefeated champions, and in the lead, the handsome, invincible, untouchable captain – the impact was beyond powerfully potent.

That’s right. This..  _This_ was it. This was his world. This was where he belonged, where he had ruled before someone called Sehun had ever appeared, and where he continued to rule, even now. It was every bit as good as anything Sehun might have, and he, Tao had created it with his own hands, pulling up the dwindling half-assed group it had been two years ago, to its current position, with just the strength of his determination.

He felt energized and confident once more, proud in his recognition of his place in this little part of the universe. As he stepped into the sliding doors of the hall where they held their practices, he quickly and efficiently called out orders, getting everyone changed and halfway through their warm ups, before Sensei even arrived.  Moving flawlessly through the starting stretches, his self-assurance coalesced further, and he successfully managed to ignore the twinges and aches with which his muscles protested their overusage.

‘Attention! Bow!’ Tao called out as Shifu slid open the door, and as one, the 19 boys sprung upright, the sound of 19 fists slamming into palms resounding through the hall as they pushed their hands into the traditional greeting and bowed deep. Shifu acknowledged them with a smile, then motioned them to fall into rows, signalling the start of their actual workout.Soon, they were all  breathing strenuously, and the familiar grunts of effort could be heard. Shifu strode up and down through the files, calling out directions, as they kicked and spun in unity, synchronized to the last flick of movement. Five minutes of practicing the basic kicks..then onto the front and back sweeps, before they broke off into their individual or paired groups for the proper Changquan and  Nanquan sets.

Tao tugged at Chan Ye’s sleeve, pulling him forward. ‘Shifu! Chan Ye wants to do a tornado for the next competition..’

‘Oho! Xuanfegjiao, eh? Yes, I think he’s ready, ne, Tao-Diuzhang?’

‘Huh?!’ Tao grinned at his mentor. ‘Yes!’ ‘Good. Once you’re done with 10 flying frontkicks, 5 lotuses, and your butterfly kick-twist routine, you can start teaching him.’

Chuckling at Tao’s gaping mouth, Shifu headed off to where Bo Xian was trying to kill Minsoo with his approximation of a side somersault.

Snapping his mouth shut, Tao shrugged at Chan Ye. ‘See ya in a bit , then.’

Tao headed outside, to the giant old tree just outside the training hall. Shifu was a traditionalist, who believed in making his better students train by practicing against hard wood, and Tao had to admit it really worked. Even when he had fractured two bones and sprained any number of ligaments back in the early days, he had never questioned its efficiency in making his punches and kicks that much more powerful. As he wrapped the linen bandages around his hand, he noted the ground around the tree, free of snow or ice- despite the sprinkling that lay over the rest of the grounds. He had always insisted that Minsoo and the other first years carry out the task of maintaining the hall and their practice areas, and it looked like they were doing a good job. Tao grinned. Aah~ but his boys were the  _best._

Drawing a deep breath to focus, Tao willed himself to embrace the spiky chill that was already needling into him, the cold air that was so frosty he could feel it through its entire passage down his windpipe. Spreading his legs in a semicircular pattern, he bounded forward...

As his foot connected strongly with the bark with each ‘thwack’ Tao felt the power and control dancing through his soul…… the contractions and expansions of his heart beating through his every muscle…

While his sweat plopped onto the upturned roots, his mind slipped into that pure, uninvolved exquisitely formless space, where thoughts ran crystal clear, but untainted by any emotional reaction... Seeing each pulsing movement a fraction of a second before it happened… His focus running through every bone and joint and muscle in his body…

 _His side still ached a bit… maybe it was bruised or something, he must’ve hit it against a tap…_ When he’d been changing into his Wushu clothes, he’d only concentrated on getting them on as quick as possible, and hadn’t paused to take a look at his body… Honestly, that boy…

 

‘Yeah!! Good One!’

 

In shock, Tao crashed awkwardly into the side of the tree, the bark grazing his face painfully. Swearing, he pulled himself upright, turning to the fence that ran just around the club hall.. where the boy in question was perched,his yellow scarf glaring around his neck, happily munching a riceball, and taking breaks in between mouthfuls to wave to him. ‘Ta-o-zi, Ta-o-zi, woooohoo!’

‘What…..  _what the hell are you doing??!!’_

‘huh?... Cheering you, of courthe!’ Sehun’s eyes disappeared above his broad ear-to-ear grin. ‘I said I would! Aah~~ but theriously, Tao-zi, you are  _so_ good..i didn’t even imagine!’ He wiggled in delight where he sat, his hand curling against his cheeks, the movement sending a reflexive spasm of fear through Tao – that fence was hardly wide enough for a cat, nor sturdy in the slightest!

Quickly squelching the thought, Tao glared at him. ‘I thought you went home already.’

‘eehh~~ ‘Sehun’s voice pitched in exaggeration. ‘While you are working so hard, training and practicing and…  _fighting with_  a tree?? No way!’

Even Sehun’s precious little chuckles seemed to be arrows hurled at him.

‘Where’s Lu Han?’

‘Huh….he.. went home?’ Sehun looked quizzically at Tao as he started his routine again from the top, his punches now landing on the trunk hard enough to shake the topmost branches.

‘Hrrm. Well, you can go home too.’ The words wrenched from his throat, while he spun and twisted and pounded his anger.

There was almost a full minute’s worth of silence from the sparklingly adorable blonde.

‘Why?’ There was a sharp quality to his voice when he finally spoke that Tao had never heard before.

Tao paused, his hands holding the rough timber, palms plying over the little spurs, the fury bursting from him excessive..and totally uncalled for, he knew, in a little corner right at the back of his mind..

But..

_He was just so fucking angry!!!!!_

‘ _WHY??!!_ What the hell are you even doing here in the first place??!!  _Cheering for me?!!_  Gimme a fucking break!! Ha!! Who the hell are you even, to ‘Cheer’ for  _me_??!! You’re fuckin  _NOBODY_!!! Honestly… who the fuck do you even think you are…. Do you think I need a useless shit like  _you_ to help with my Wushu??!!! Why don’t you take your fucking shit to someone who cares??!!’ The spit flying from his mouth, he glared at Sehun, his voice rising in mockery.

’Don’t club me in with  _those_ pathetic losers, ‘Oh, Sehun how awesome you are, Oh, how I love you, Oh how hot is your fucking hair’,  _they’d_ be more than happy to have you following them around!! Huh! Wait, that’s right, are you like,  _stalking_ me, or something?  _HA!!_ Well, it would be right in keeping with your superb brains, sneaking around with that friggin neon head!! Why don’t you just get lost, before someone thinks we’re  _friends,_ I’d never live down the shame!!

Or did you perhaps suppose we  _were_ actually  _friends_?? Hahaha. Wow, you really  _are_ stupid, aren’t you…Frankly its quite annoying. Do you suppose someone like  _me_ would ever take someone like  _you_ seriously?’

Sehun’s eyes, which had widened in shock at the beginning of the outburst, were hidden now, as he dropped off the fence, his head tucked down into his chest. Gently, he let the riceball fall from his fingers onto the ground, before stepping on it viciously. ‘Fine.’ Tao could hardly hear his quiet voice over the roar of the blood rushing through his head. Tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket, he walked right past Tao, his head still bent down.. Leaving behind only the faintest trace of his scent on the wind as he went down the little cleared path.

Tao stood frozen..

He didn’t even turn his head to follow Sehun, just staring blankly still at the spot on the fence which, just moments ago, had housed the happiest, cutest, most magical person….

The anger still pricked at him, deadened a bit now, but still present.

He knew it was totally irrational, he knew, on some level, that he was really happy Sehun had come to watch him, to cheer him.. but for reasons he could  _not_ for the life of him imagine,  all that was obfuscated by this blinding rage…

He had wanted to hurt him..he had wanted to  _destroy_ him…

And he had no clue why.

‘diuzhang?’

Tao turned to see Chan Ye’s concerned frown peeping out the club door.

‘Is everything ok..i thought I heard something…’

Tao forced his lips into something approaching a smile. ‘Ahh.. I was just trying out fasheng..’

‘Eeeh!’ Chan Ye’s features lit into a grin, as he stepped out to teasingly prod at Tao’s solar plexus. ‘Haha!  _You_ , the Changquan fanatic, attempting Nanquan??!! You’re a hundred years too early, my child!’

Tao chuckled, and pushed Chan Ye’s hand away. ‘Shuttit, you sound like Bo Xian now’

Laughing, both the boys headed back indoors, and Tao spent the next hour going through the stances for the tornado, culminating in the 360⁰ rotation in mid air, with an inward snap-kick right at the top, till Chan Ye was able to finally get it (once) and the whole group plus Shifu, who had practically abandoned their own sets to watch, started cheering and hooting fit to blow the roof right off.

Joining in the celebration, clapping loudly, beaming..

Tao felt like he was not in his body, like he was somewhere far away, watching the absolutely normal expressions on his face.

This strange sense of dissociation continued throughout the evening – through the hand-forms practice, the weapons routine (his especial speciality), the warming down…

He appeared totally normal.. no, happier, and kinder and more friendly than he had  _ever_ been, giving the usual instructions to everyone as they left… even grabbing the First Years as they headed out, and taking them to a German Café for a treat, telling them they deserved it after all their hard work… joking around with Bo Xian and Chan Ye, who had tagged along.. refusing to pay their bills, as they pouted and whined at him, then chuckling as he caved in…

It was like…

He was  _really_ someone else…

Inside, it felt like it was someone else moving his body.. like he was a puppet, but the strings between his mind and flesh had been snapped, and someone else..someone who looked like him, and talked with his voice, but was definitely not him, had taken over…

A personality he had never encountered before…

But he didn’t even care, really…

 

 

 

 

Walking home alone, he just pulled the collar of his jacket up, burying the lower half of his face and hunched slightly against the falling snow, not even managing to work up the energy to open up his umbrella. It was like, once the others left, and he was by himself..even that part of him that had kept smiling dropped away, and he was just left empty.

Turning into the final tree-lined avenue before his house, he kept his eyes on the ground..his black boots that contrasted sharply with the snow..the flakes dropping on them, stopping still for an instant..holding their breaths..before being brushed away…

‘TAO?!’

Huh??

he looked around.

He had walked right by..

Kris.

_Kris…_

Only, Tao felt nothing.

Turning around completely, Tao bowed politely.. like Kris was just another, older neighbour…

‘Good evening’

His voice was firm

Staring full into Kris’ face, Tao felt a strange curiosity… it was like.. he had kinda..forgotten what Kris’ face looked like.. somehow, his features looked new.. unfamiliar…

The silence stetched between them

‘Aah~~’ Kris ran his hand through his hair, pushing it up off of his forehead. ‘We need to talk, right..’

Suddenly, with the hugest amount of relief, Tao felt it all fall away – the sense of emptiness.. the strange fractured feeling that had held him trapped all evening…  

The older emotions..that he had unknowingly been living with every second for the past days…

He  _actually_ did not seem to have any of that pain any longer..

Sure, he felt a little ache… Kris had been such a huge part of his life… and three months was an awful long time when you’re just 16 (and a half)...

And he had truly loved him..

But somehow..

Through the regret (he wished they had worked out, somehow…he  _really_  did, Kris was…one of a kind) and… nostalgia…

Somehow…

He felt it deep inside, a certainty that trumped everything..

It was never something that was meant to be…

He realised for the first time..that maybe feelings are not enough.. maybe.. to make ‘going out’ into an actual ‘relationship’..

_Especially not the half-assed feelings they had gone out with..._

Maybe something more was needed, something Kris and he had never had…

And right now.. he still cared for Kris..deeply, and affectionately.. but it was no longer the sense of ‘being in love’

All these thoughts flowed through Tao’s mind in an instant, and it took only that long for him to turn a big smile, a genuine one, to the taller boy, titling his head to one side.

‘No.. Kris, really.. it’s fine’

Kris’ hand fell away, as he stared at Tao in shock.

‘Huuh??!’

Tao burst out laughing at his face.

‘It’s really alright, honestly.. we would never have lasted very long anyway..’

‘Huh…’

Kris looked at him through curious eyes.

‘You’ve changed’

Tao grinned. ‘yup..i guess I have.. ‘

For the first time, a smile tugged at Kris’ lips, and he leaned in to flick at Tao’s forehead.

‘Wow! I’m shocked!’

Happiness flooded through Tao, a sheer joy  - he was free! Finally..  _finally,_ he no longer had to suffer, no longer had to screw up his heart everytime he passed the neighbourhood basketball court, no longer had to avoid the pier, Xiaoyushan.. all the places that were special to them, all the memories.. they would always be special, but no longer will they have the ability to hurt him..

_He.Was.Over.Kris_

!!!!

Kris grinned down at him, and chucked a hand around his shoulders.

‘Hey, if you’re free, come over? Theres a whole lot of your stuff at my place still…and..err…’

‘HA!!’ Tao hooted with laughter. ‘You’re new  _boyfriend_ doesn’t like it, huh?’ Kris actually blushed, looking away and ruffling the back of his head. ‘Eerh..hrrmmm…ah’

‘Eh? What was that,I didn’t quite get it..’

‘Well.. _yes_ , okay?!’ Shoving Tao along next to him, Kris started walking towards his house. ‘Man, who thought they’d see the day Zitao started goofing around like this..’ His voice trailed off, sounding disgusted.. then he flashed Tao a grin to show he was just kidding.

Tao smiled back up at him, and they made their way to Kris’ place.

‘Aahh~~ that’s right, that’s right, I know who performed this absolutely miraculous transformation!’

‘Hhmm..?’

‘That boy… at the supermarket? The white-blonde hair… Honestly, Taotao, how long has this been going on, eh?’

‘HEY!!!  _You_ are the one who – ‘

‘Ah, ah, I’m just kidding, sorry, I mean..’

With a huff, Tao pretended to pull away, then shook his head smiling.. A smile that faded as Kris continued..

‘But Tao-ah, I never would have put you with a guy like that.. he seems the absolute opposite of your type…’

‘No.. i… we.. that is.. we’re no.. totally not..like that..’

‘Eehh?’ Kris’ voice stretched out, but he didn’t probe Tao further, as they had reached the door and Kris unlocked it..

The snap of that lock was almost painfully nostalgic..almost, but not actually.

 

 

 

 

 

Tao retched, hurling another stream of bitter yellow into the toilet. He had already thrown up all the food that had been in his stomach… it had felt like _days_ and  _days_ worth. Shaking violently, the tears dripping off his chin, he pressed his burning face against the toilet bowl, but the cool porcelain only felt clammy and dank.

Reaching down with trembling hands, he pulled off the tee shirt that still smelled of Kris, throwing it across the bathroom. Scrambling up, following its path, he wrenched open the shower door, tearing off his clothes, and turning on the water as hot and as full as it would go, he scrubbed furiously at himself, raking his nails over his body.. hard enough to turn his skin red..

But he could still  _feel_ Kris on him…

Flashes of the last two hours hit him, like vivid snapshots from a movie, and another fit of spasms clenched through him, having him leaning over the toilet again, heaving.. there was nothing left to come up now, not even his stomach juices…

‘TAO!! ZITAO!!!’

His mom banged on the door, her voice strung with panic.

Wiping his mouth, and wrapping a towel around himself, he pulled the door open.

‘ _Tao-sshi!!’_

He was panting, red and sweating despite the weather that whispered ice even through  _their_ house (with the best heating money could buy), the tears trickling down his cheeks, his chest heaving…

The next few minutes saw him being bundled into bed, a thermometer stuffed into his mouth, the heater in his room raised up all the way, and his mother’s concerned and slightly gruff, (but only because of her worry) grumbling – ‘Running a fever of 102⁰, and he insists on spending all hours of the day and night practicing  _Wushu…_ Huh, genius??!! Whoever said  _that_ , a ‘genius’ needs to have some sense..’ all punctuated with frequent admonishements of, ‘Don’t move!’ ‘Don’t even think of getting up for school tomorrow!’ ‘I said not to move!!!’

‘Here. Finish it all up, okay?’

Tao cracked his eyes open, to the steaming bowl of chicken soup.

‘Uhm.’ He nodded, and sat up. His mom sat by his bedside, lightly stroking his head, till he had finished entire bowl. Slightly relieved now, (he  _can’t_ be that sick if he could still eat, right..) she tucked him in, pulling the covers tight around him like she used to when he was little, and leaned to kiss his forehead.

‘You really work yourself too hard, you know, Xiaoer. Just take it easy, at least for a bit, okay?’

As she flicked the lights off, and left, closing the door behind her, Tao lay in the darkness, trying to shut out everything, his thoughts, his emotions… his shame and guilt and hurt and everything else.

_But..he had.. he himself had let..no, enjoyed…_

It was all so unbearable, he thought his mind would break, and he'd just go crazy...

 

And Mom... how could he let her think he was someone that good, someone that..worthy, he was utterly despicable, the absolute  _worst...._

 

 _If only he c_ ould  _really lose his mind.._

he'd welcome it...

it would be a relief not to have to think anymore...

 

 

 

* * *

 

Coz theres no such thing as a wrong moment to minispam Sports-star  Lu Han 

  

 [for more drooling, squealing, and serious existential crises, see also : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCYn8QRoFjM , LuHan playing BBall on ST ]

**CHINESE GUIDE**

Shifu - master/ teacher of a particular skill/martial arts, etc

 

<< orz. Ohhh the angst...... .・゜゜・（／。＼）・゜゜・．>> hehe, actually its kinda fun ∋━━o(｀∀´oメ）～→ *evil laugh* 

 

 


	6. Chapter Six

‘…Tao chiancheng??!!’

Tao made his way downstairs at 6 the next morning, fully dressed in his uniform, blazer buttoned, the edges of his tie razor sharp, the folds exquisite.. to the anxious surprise of Yuki Nainai. ‘Tao-chiancheng? Madam said you were ill……’ She stepped forward from the counter she had been washing some lettuce leaves at, wiping her hands on her apron, her expression changing immediately to sheer worry. ‘AH! you look terrible!! Get back upstairs right now!! I’ll bring you some nice hot toast, with honey, ok? ‘

Tao grunted.

‘I’m going to school.’

She gasped in response, her palms going up to her cheeks.

‘No, you can’t!! look at you, you look like you’re going to drop dead any second’ She broke off to knock on the wooden table ‘Madam made me promise to take good care of you before she left! She was so worried, having to go for the early shift while you were ill… But I was the one who convinced her it would be ok…  I’ll get you all your food right to your room, ok? So be a good boy and go back, c’mon now’

She waved her dish cloth at him, trying to motion him back

Tao tried his hardest to manage a smile ‘It’s just coz of my dark circles, Yuki-nainai! You just think I look sick..’

‘Huuuuuhhh?! What are you saying, do you think I’m just seeing you for the first time today?!! Your dark circles??!! Who was the one who spent days scrubbing your face after you tried to cover them over with the white paint left over from the kitchen renovation??!! And who was the one who sat up with Madam all through the night when you had measles? Who knows better than me how you look when you’re ill??  I’ve been seeing you since you were  _this_ small, and you used to pour all your juice over the floor and then sit in it, pretending you were a fisherman in the sea, and you used to come running to me with Madam’s shoes, all covered in orange, saying. ‘nainai nainai, Tao-chiancheng caught fish!’ And you’re trying to fool  _me…..’_

Her voice rose as she rattled off the list of incidences she always brought up at such times, and Tao knew if he didn’t head her off, she would proceed right through all 16 (and a half) years worth of collected reminisces

‘Yuki-nainai.. I’m really not sick, you know.. my temperature was just a little high yesterday because I threw up..’

_‘Threw up??!! And you say you’re not sick??!!’_

‘No, really..it’s just that I went out..and ate..’

_‘Aha!’_

This was Nainai’s pet peeve, the dead horse she was always willing to flog once more – she hated when Tao went out to eat, frequently telling him he would fall sick.. she actually half believed everyone out there was out to get her precious boy, and she didn’t trust any hand but hers to prepare his food, to design meals that were healthy enough, and had all the ‘good things’ he would need.

So when Tao mentioned that he had eaten out (not a complete lie, Tao told himself, he  _had_ had a waffle at the café… and then.. at Kris’ he… ) she jumped to it, heaping remonstrations on Tao and the cook who had ‘poisoned’ him..

Brushing aside her still sizeable concerns, he took the opportunity to pull on his parka, and, slinging his messenger bag around his body, headed out.

The snow crunched underfoot as Tao walked with his head slumped down. His skin chafed with each movement, and his head felt like it would explode..but there was NO way,  _no friggin way_ , he could spend another minute alone in his room.

 

 

His thoughts had turned darker and darker during the long night.. as the moon climbed through the sky, wreathing itself in icicles that glittered halfway between the freezing night and a glacial dream, Tao’s mind had turned down paths he’d been completely out of his depth to navigate. Vivid and surreal in their clarity the images kept flashing through his mind repeatedly, however hard he tried to push them aside..

Kris..

Kris’ hands, and fingers and lips..

Over his body..

His instantly  _needy_ body…

The shame crushed him, the shame and the guilt…

Disgust like he’d never thought possible burned through his soul, directed solely towards himself…

 

All Kris had done…

 

All Kris had to do was beckon, and like a dog, he’d run behind him, panting.

 

Remembering the events leading upto it, Tao chuckled mockingly at himself, contempt venoming through his veins. He’d been so convinced he was different, that he’d ‘Gotten over Kris’.. he’d thought it was all behind him..

He’d been so happy in his freedom..

But then, just minutes later, that very self, that very Tao, had been bucking and thrusting,  _begging, pleading_  at Kris for more…

A part of him, deep deep down,actually  _happy_ that he was with Kris once again…even a twinge of relief? A small but strong rip of hope..that things could go back to being the way they had always been..there was no need for anything to change…

 

Not even all the showers he’d taken through the night, raking his body till the skin had been scraped off in places, could wash away the terrible feeling of revulsion that smothered him..

Revulsion at himself, at his repulsive weakness, his own lack of self respect..

All his life, Tao had lived proud – proud in his own accomplishments, proud in his abilities.. proud in his intelligence, proud in his strength..

But now, in just one evening.. it had all been torn apart…

_If only.._

_If only he hadn’t met Kris yesterday…_

Even all the pain he had felt earlier was not anywhere comparable to this

 

At least then… Then he could blame Kris..

It hadn’t been his fault,  _Kris_ had been the one who had cheated, betrayed their relationship…

But now the one who had betrayed him, was himself.

 

He felt like he had been raped, violated physically and mentally and emotionally… the abuse stretching right through his soul…

But he himself was the one responsible, the perpetrator..

Even though all these months, they’d been doing the same thing.. and everytime it had felt good, leaving Tao full to the brim with feelings of love and being loved…

But this time…

 

He slammed his fist against the stony outcropping on the balustrade outside the building he was passing. Hard enough, that even without a scraping movement, the side split, his blood seeping out to drip down his wrist.

This… this was totally...

This was  _unbearable_

 

He felt so utterly worthless…

 

 

He sat alone in his seat, staring blankly at the blackboard, for what seemed like hours, before people started trickling in, talking and laughing amongst themselves, calling out greetings in merry voices, playfully pulling off each other’s mufflers and scarves…

Now, more than ever, it hit him with a crippling bludgeoning force – he was actually all alone..

In this entire classroom..

In this entire school…

No,  _within any parameters you cared to mention,_ he was totally completely friendless..

Even with Kris.. it had been an unequal relationship always.. Kris leading and Tao desperately running behind, always two steps short..  even when he’d acted cute, every time he’d whined or pouted.. at the back of his mind, there was always a part that worried about irritating Kris.. always, he’d held back, always second guessed himself… because the one thing he didn’t want was for Kris to be annoyed with him.. or to dislike him…

Though he’d gone closer to letting Kris see how he was on the inside, than he had with anyone else, in the end, he’d always been too scared – scared Kris would turn away from him if he did…

And sure, he had other acquaintances -  people who looked up to him, people who tried to impress him, and people who tried to get close to him for various selfish reasons…

But out of all of them..

There was no one,  _no one,_ he could tell this to, tell how he felt… no one he could talk about his pain to…

 

Tao had always held onto his independence almost jealously.. maybe he kinda thought himself slightly above the rest of the world… maybe there genuinely had never been anyone in his world who vibrated on his frequency, no one who  _could_  understand him…

And he was normally absolutely fine with it, walking his own path…

But right now..

 

He’d give the world for the kind of smile that signalled someone truly cared about him... a friendly face, that was actually a friend..

 

He’d give his life for someone he could lean on, someone he could turn to, and show his weakness, without fear of rejection, or worrying about losing face in front of them..

 

He realised now that this feeling had been growing on him for a while now..

 

_Ever since him…_

 

Ever since Sehun had appeared magically out of nowhere, and turned his world upside down..

With just an enchanting smile that shone and sparkled brighter than anything Tao had seen before… With nothing more than his little chuckles, more beautiful than anything Tao had ever heard.. His adorable naughtiness, and that endearing sauciness… that indescribably exquisite face and body that was always so soft..and accepting and welcoming of him…

Somehow, in their pure white slender fragility offering more strength than Tao had ever looked for in another person..

Encouraging him to just fall into them, to depend on the strength in that wondrously warm hand…

 

Even in his misery, Tao understood now the anger that had gripped him yesterday..

 

When he’d seen Sehun perched precariously on that fence.. actually cheering  _him_ ….

 

_He had been afraid._

Completely and utterly and unimaginably terrified.

 

Subconsciously, even though he’d never allowed himself to realise it, he had understood that Sehun was..

Sehun was something on an absolutely different level from anything he’d experienced before..

If he let himself..

If he just let himself fall..

And something went wrong..

There would be no coming back from  _that_

 

He recognized that Sehun was changing him.. and he was terrified of that change…

Icicles of fear, colder than anything the weather could come up with, stabbed through him at the thought of letting go..of everything he’d fought to be till now… at the thought of letting go of the person he’d been till now..

Struggling every second, to be ‘Huang Zitao’.. perfect genius, perfect captain, perfect role model…

It was all he knew how to be…

 

But Sehun somehow made his nature uncontrollable..

He somehow had Tao saying and doing exactly what he thought.. indulging that side of himself he had always striven to suppress…

At the same moment, making him more manly and aggressive and possessive than he had known he could ever be…

And Tao was terrified to step outside his cocoon.

 

He didn’t know what this feeling was, that he felt for Sehun..

It was far far away from the ‘love’ he’d felt for Kris…

Maybe there were no words for it..

But it was like he was standing at the edge of a cliff..in the wonderfully comforting, warm summer wind.. the sunset dying the skies in the most brilliant shafts of pinks and reds and oranges… the waves below glittering up to meet the rainbowing clouds, sparkling cool foamy gleams through the fiery tints..

The enchanting scent of coconuts and spice and decadently flowering blossoms twining around him…

His heart pounding in thrilling anticipation..

All he had to do was jump..

Dive in..

 

But to do that he’d have to leave the familiar feel of the earth pressing to his soles..

 

And he was terrified.

 

Well…

It was over now, anyway..

After what he’d said yesterday..

There was nothing left there for him anymore.

He was  _glad._

He was worthless..

 _despicable_..

after everything, he was the scum who had…

 

Sehun deserved so much more, Sehun deserved  _so much_ better than Tao!

He didn’t regret it, he really didn’t.

He himself wanted Sehun, more than anything, to stay far away from a guy like him.

So it was a  _good_ thing…

 

By the time Chen Laoshi walked out of the class, closely followed by Suki (she seemed to be rather fixated on him these days..well, for her, a teacher would be the next natural elevation..though Tao personally thought she was underestimating Chen laoshi  _waay_ too much; he was kind and always really sweet – but he was  _far_ from anybody’s fool), Tao had to acknowledge the worry that was beating through him.  Half the day was gone, and that pretty white blonde head he had been expectantly, desperately, looking for, (despite pretending really hard to himself otherwise), had still not shown.

As the class broke for lunch, he found he wasn’t the only one

‘Lu Han!! Where’s Sehun??!’ Yuuna’s complaining voice sounded through the class, taken up by the rest of the girls, and half the guys.

Lu Han shrugged. ‘I haven’t the slightest…’

‘Maybe he’s sick or something?’

‘Ahh…’

‘Don’t say that!!! What if he’s ill… and suffering.. _in pain_..’

Lu Han chuckled. ‘I’m sure he’ll be having a good time, getting pampered by everyone at home, then..’

 

Tao paused in the middle of the doodle he had been pretending to draw, apparently not eavesdropping at all.

_Did Lu Han not know Sehun lived on his own?!!!!_

 

‘Let’s go visit him!’ the cry was joined in by practically the entire class, everyone loudly making plans, and arguing over what they’d bring with them (‘ _I said I’d take chocolates!’_ ‘So what, I’m taking chocolates too!’ ‘ _No, I want to especially give Se-xiong chocolates’_ ‘Ha! You idiots.. I’m taking hot soup, that’ll trump all the chocolate in the world’)

Tao tuned out as the conversations descended further into infantilism, worry spiralling through him. What if Sehun  _was_ really ill? It was just something these stupid fools had thought up, but…

But he couldn’t shake it..

Especially after everything he’d said..

His own words reverberated through his mind, and Tao felt a cold hand clutch at his heart….

_He’d never forgive himself_

This new dread served to totally wipe out all of Tao’s endlessly echoing thoughts about The Kris Incident.

[If he’d realised it, he wouldn’t have been surprised – it was already the most natural thing for him to put Sehun above himself, to put his needs ahead of his… ]

 

 ‘Waitaminute..where does Sehun live?’

 

Tao’s rambling thoughts were interrupted by this refrain, as person after person shook their heads in ignorance. Utterly shocked – Sehun had seemed like such a concrete part of that crowd, he couldn’t believe they hadn’t all made frequent and comprehensive use of his flat; utterly curious as to  _why_ Sehun hadn’t invited them over, even one of them, even once.. and utterly worried as to what was coming…

_Only it didn’t…_

 

It wasn’t till the final bell of the day had rung, and everyone was getting ready to leave – Club activities being cancelled as the temperature had dropped further during the course of the day (Tao had barely even noticed, his head was in itself a burning pit of thoughts that swirled from guilt to anger through shame, worry and anxiety threading needles pulling into his mind) that Suki appeared next to Tao, slamming a palm flat on his desk.

‘Zitao Jun!! You’ve been to Sehun’s house haven’t you?’

Immediately, the entire female population of the class was crowded around his table, pressing themselves up to him.

‘Omg that’s right, you went over that day, didn’t you!’

‘You were teaching him…’

‘You definitely know where his house is!!’

‘Please tell us!!’

‘Sehun’s sick, you know!!’

‘I bought three hundered Yuan worth of chocolates!’

_‘Its not how much you spend that counts!’_

‘I think Sehun has a fever’

‘No, no, I’m pretty sure he’s anaemic.. I think he fainted’

‘Zitao jun, does Sehun live very far away? I have to get home before six!’

‘Zitao jun can come along too!’

‘Yeah, we won’t mind! Zitao jun can come with us..’

Part of his mind caught up in working out how anybody could possibly get their hands on  _300 Yuan_ worth of chocolates in school, Tao almost burst out laughing at the last comment.  Sure.  _They_ were inviting  _him_ along to  _his_ Sehun’s house.

 

Suddenly somehow feeling much lighter, like all the anguish  had been miraculously washed away, Tao turned a grinning face to the girls.

‘I-‘

‘All of you, stop this, this instance!’

The angry voice crashed over them, and Tao turned around in surprise.

Mai had stood up so fast, her chair was teetering on one leg, just barely balancing on Chan Ye’s table behind her. Her face twisted in fury, her hands fisted at her sides, she was glaring at all the girls surrounding Tao.

‘What the  _hell_ is wrong with all of you! Can’t you see Tao-jun is not well today??! He’s been down all day long…. Honestly, who cares about that new kid, the one who is actually ill is Tao jun, and all of you are just bugging him like this!!   
HA!  
If that  _Sehun_ or whatever, wanted you over, maybe he’d have told you where he lived himself?! I thought you guys were such  _close_ friends and all that!’

Surprised, Tao stared at her. He’d thought no one had noticed.. he’d thought he’d covered himself well, acting normal all through the day…

‘Well.. well..maybe that’s a bit harsh..’

‘But Mai is right. Diuzhang isn’t feeling very well today…’

‘So could you lot just find something else to do?’

Chan Ye and Bo Xian appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, Bo Xian draping an arm around Yuuna’s shoulders, and they both started chivvying everyone away. As Chan Ye launched into some long, convoluted story that had nothing to do with anything, but succeeding in distracting the girls to the point where they quietly followed him away, like they were in some sort of trance, Bo Xian winked over his shoulder at Tao, flashing him a ‘V’ sign. 

Tao was so taken aback, he was rendered speechless.

 _They had noticed too? No, more than that, they had stood up for him.. trying to_ protect  _him??!!_

‘Hmph.’ Mai lining her books up with more than necessary force brought his attention back to her. She was muttering angrily under her breath, random phrases like, ‘what do they think of themselves’ and ‘cant they even  _see_ ’ floating up to him.

‘Errmm, Mai-mei?’

She looked up, seeming to actually notice Tao for the first time, turning crimson as she realised that he had heard her outburst.

Laughing, his mood lightening even further, Tao cut through her spluttering.

‘Thank You.’

Mai blushed even harder, waving her hand in front of her face, as she mumbled how it was ‘nothing’..

‘Haha, but do I really look that ill?’

‘No, no, of course not!’ She looked up earnestly. ‘I mean… you look bit out of sorts…well, you haven’t been yourself all day…. That is to say…’

Tao burst out laughing again at her embarrassed confusion.

‘It’s fine, I just didn’t get much sleep last night… Thank you, though.’

Leaving her behind with her eyes shining and her hands clasped to her chest at his sincere, serious tones and soulful voice, Tao slung his bag around his shoulders, and headed out.

 

The cold lacerated through his half-zipped parka, but he barely noticed as he walked quickly past the small groups and bunches of kids who were making their way out of the school gate and down the road.  Many of them called out greetings to him, their respect evident in their voices but Tao only waved back absent mindedly. His heart was already thumping excitedly in his chest, and his thoughts happily turning into warm fantasies, as he hunched forward slightly, and made his way through the town. Past the cobbled streets, and the European style buildings, that even all these years later, proclaimed proudly the time this city had been an outpost of the German Empire… Winding his way past the few elegant houses that remembered the Japanese Occupancy… Almost jogging through the parks that had started looking almost decrepit, the usual trimming and pruning having taken a second seat to the endless snow clearing…

There was hardly anyone else on the chilly, ice-patched streets, and the rare person who  _did_  pass him by were all hurrying too, eager to get inside, to the warmth their bodies desperately craved, only pausing momentarily when another freezing sharp wind blew whistling down the walkways, skimming shallow waves over the water that lazed along the shoreline.  In his hurry to leave, he’d forgotten his mittens in the classroom, and each gust that swirled, rattling the shutters of the shops and small businesses, all closed now, their doors barred against the chill, seemed to send fingers deep into his hands to clutch at his bones – but Tao paid no attention, only reflexively shoving his fingers deeper into this pockets, as he reached the crest of the hill, where that familiar view spread out before him…

 

He remembered how they’d stood right here together that night, and Sehun had pushed his hands into Tao’s pockets too, their fingers gripping each other’s tightly..

 

A lump rose in Tao’s throat as he remembered.. Sehun had saved him from Kris that night too..

 

And he’d repayed everything..by..

 

Firmly shaking his head, Tao turned around, and proceeded down the road, his footsteps echoing hollow through the stillness of the evening.   
  _He’d do whatever he had to, he’d do anything it took to set things right…_  
 _Somehow…_

Tao stopped outside Sehun’s house, a sudden chill gripping him, as cold as the one surrounding the little cul-de-sac. He felt the pinches of fear and nervousness that had been hidden under his excitement till now – in his sheer anticipation sparked off by having finally come to a decision, he had thrust aside, unheeding, the doubts and misgivings that had twinged through him…

 

_What if Sehun…._

 

_How could he possibly forgive him after everything he had said??!!_

 

His own words echoed in his mind once again, and he cringed at the meanness and cruelty that had dyed his voice.

 

_If he were Sehun.. he would…_

 

_Surely…_

 

‘It doesn’t matter.’ Tao whispered aloud, his voice crystalling in the air before him. Whatever he did, he would’ve deserved it. At least, at the very least, he needed to apologise, bow his head as deep as he could… after that, it was all in Sehun’s hands…

Still, the uncertainty wouldn’t dispel completely..

It was the first time he had had such thoughts regarding Sehun.. somehow, their relationship had always been..

Wait, it was not even a ‘relationship’ right?! Just this thing…unnamed..

 _Unnamable.._   

Yet, whatever it was, it had always been something that had only given Tao strength – even though it was so new, even though it had had such a short life.. it had been something that filled Tao, for the very first time in his life, with a sense of utter confidence.

Somehow, that had already become something Tao had started depending on..

 

Tao took a deep breath, finding courage in the ice razoring through his lungs.

 

He stepped forward, his determination certain, and pressed the doorbell.

 

Stamping his feet, as he waited.

 

And waited.

 

There was no reply. The door remained closed, a blank, dark space, through which there was no sound, no light.. nothing.

 

The other fear now woke inside him…

 

He had dismissed the worries of his classmates, but now those same worries gripped him, and he leaned on the bell, pushing it with all his might, while simultaneously banging as loudly as he could on the unyielding wood.

 

What if Sehun  _was_ actually ill??

 

Just when he was contemplating breaking the door down, counting the steps he could take backwards before launching himself at it, there was slight, muffled creak on the other side, and the door opened.

 

Just a crack.

 

It was dark inside, and Tao had to squint to make out the faint outline of the baggy T shirt and loose PJs that housed the slender boy, who had one hand fisted at his side, and the other gripping the door.

His eyes widening as he saw Tao, Sehun stepped back hurriedly.

Looking down, he muttered something… before snapping his face up again, a glare now fixed in his eyes that burned at Tao.

‘What do you want??!’

 

His hair…..

 

Tao felt the tears rise prickling at the corners of his eyes, then fall freely down his cheeks.

Sehun’s hair..that beautiful, gossamer white, that had fascinated him, and bound him tightly in their delicate threads from the first moment he had set eyes on it..

Gone now was the pure, bright, blonde that had shone like a beacon, drawing his attention, and his heart behind it, a million times a day…

 

_‘’Oh how hot is your fucking hair’’_

_‘’it would be right in keeping with your superb brains, sneaking around with that friggin neon head!! ‘’_

As he stared, a sob racking quietly through him, at the now dusky brown head in front of him, he remembered his own words.

_Because of him…_

_Because of him, Sehun had…._

Without thinking, without being able to think, Tao stumbled in through the half open door, grabbing onto the surprised and angry boy he had hurt,  _he had actually hurt bad enough to…_

Holding him as close as he would, Tao covered every bit of Sehun he could reach with kisses, choking as he repeated the same words over and over

‘I’m sorry..I’m so sorry Hun-ah, I’m sorry!’

With an answering sob, Sehun burst into tears too, his hands reaching to clutch at Tao, burying his face in his chest as he clung to Tao, his words broken and stumbling as he cried.

‘I thought….

I thought you… ‘

Nodding brokenly, Tao muffled Sehun’s words with his lips.

 

He knew..

 

He understood.. 

 

He’d been afraid Sehun would have just been mad.. but this was far  _far_ worse..

 

He felt like his heart was being ripped into jagged shreds

 

Pulling away, Tao held Sehun’s shoulders, looking deep into his eyes

Those limpid pools of deep chocolate brown, with golden flecks that normally sparkled and shone so bright..but now, dampened, swimming…

Another tear dropping gently off those long lashes, to trickle down to those trembling lips…

 

And Tao knew.

No, he realised, for the first time, that he had  _already_ known..

A long time ago… 

 

He didn’t know anything about this beautiful boy who was looking up at him, relief mixed with worry, and even fear, etched on his face as he held Tao’s gaze…his thin shoulders shaking with barely suppressed sobs under Tao’s hands…

He didn’t know anything about his past..his family… his likes or dislikes, or what TV Shows he watched or what songs he had on his mp3 player..

He didn’t know what his favourite foods were, or what religion he believed ….

He knew nothing…

 

And yet, he knew everything…

 

Inside his heart, he  _knew_ him…

Like as though, once upon a time, Sehun had been the person who was closest to him, so close he was almost a  _part of Tao himself…_ and then he had gone away,  leaving Tao alone, all these years…

Like the person Tao was holding right now was someone he  _recognized_ , the recollection resounding through his soul…

 

And above all, Tao was finally able to acknowledge the feelings he himself had for him, to  accept the truth he had denied all along...

 

‘I.. I love you, Hun-Ah.’ 

 

The words were strong, and steady, conviction and certainty ringing through them.

 

Sehun’s eyes widened, utter shock chasing away all other emotion, as he choked up at Tao, who was staring unblinkingly at him.

 

Then he quickly looked away, trying to hide his face in his arms and pulling away from Tao all at once. Wrenching free, he hurriedly turned around, mumbling continuously, but his voice so low Tao couldn’t decipher a single word, stumbling in his haste as he moved further down the hall.

Watching his retreating back, Tao felt only satisfaction.

Of course, Sehun’s feelings for him weren’t the same as his.

It was only to be expected. The rejection did not come as a shock at all, he felt like he’d always known things would turn out like this..

Especially, since, c’mon, they’d barely talked to each other a couple of times, and most of that hadn’t..exactly… involved having a ‘conversation’ . It was only Tao who felt like Sehun was as familiar and precious to him as his own heart…

 

Rationally thinking, they were just total strangers…

 

_But he was glad he’d said it_

 

He’d needed to.

 

‘I’m sorry about yesterday, I can’t tell you how much… I didn’t mean  _any_ of it, Hun-ah, you have to know that! I was just…really messed up in my own head..’

Tao took two steps behind Sehun, then stopped himself, as Sehun stopped just outside his bedroom door.

 

Taking his courage in both hands, he stepped forward again, till he was just behind Sehun, the dim light from the open window shivering between them.

 

‘ I was scared.. I… ‘

 

As the light caught at the brown strands on Sehun’s bowed head, Tao felt his words suffocating in his throat.

 

Like picking at an open wound, he watched his fingers lift up to thread through those honey colured locks

‘And..about right now… I.. I don’t expect anythi-‘

 

‘you were right.’

 

‘Huh?’

 

Sehun’s voice had been the tiniest whisper, a barely distinguishable murmur.

 

‘You were right!’

 

He spun around, his face twisted as he glared up at Tao, his hands fisting against his chest, like something was hurting him inside, his voice rising, till he was yelling, the tears streaming down his face in torrents now.

‘You were right, its all true, I  _was_ stalking you! Ever since that day, I saw you, I watched you while you were shopping at that antique-y place outside the hospital, with that tall boy, Kris or whatever, and ever since then, I’ve always been looking for you, every time i thought it was you passing by, my eyes would always follow...but it wasn't you, it was always someone else..

and..

everytime..i'd feel so  _crushed_

and…

And then, finally, that night... I saw you sitting alone that night, near the promenade, i ….

 

I was so happy when I realised we were in the same class, I thought I’d  _burst!!_

I even found out all about you, I mean, i tried to, but no one knows  _anything_ , theyr all so wrong, none of them have a  _clue_  who you are…I asked everyone!...  and even  _that_ makes me happy coz then, I’m the only one who…’

And now…’

His voice breaking, Sehun looked down, his hands twisting together in his loose tee shirt.

 

‘Now… you know I’m just as disgusting as you thought, its true, I  _was_ hoping.. that…

 

but you’ll hate me now, i… ‘

 

Raising his head, he shouted at Tao, again, sobs jerking his thin body. ‘ Get out!’

 

 

Tao kissed him so hard, they fell through the door.

 

As Sehun gasped limply, Tao pulled them both up, and swinging him into his arms, he carried Sehun to his bed, dropping him into the comforter half a second before he climbed over him, leaning over him to kiss him again, on his forehead.. over each eye, on the tip of that delightful nose, and then deeply, thoroughly on his mouth

 

Sehun wrapped his arms around Tao’s neck as he lifted away for a breath, the weak sunlight fluttering past the light curtains sparkling over the giant grin that split his face from ear to ear.

 

Tao felt his heart clench at just how sheer adorable he was.. this boy who looked up at him with such love shining in his eyes…

 

He laughed out loud, the exultant feelings of triumph and joy and excitement filling him with pure bliss. 

Sehun grinned even wider, and pulled him down again, feathering kisses all over Tao, now

 

This time was so different from any other…

The urgency and the desire and the lust was all there..

Not even the slightest bit diluted…

But along with that, mixed right in, was something else, something new…

Affection, and tenderness, and caring spilled through them, and their kisses tasted like nothing they had ever tasted before

 

Tao reached over to pull Sehun’s shirt off slowly, kissing each inch of skin that was revealed, while Sehun caressed his face, and ran his fingers through his hair

They stopped frequently, Tao straightening up to just  _look_ at Sehun, and theyd both smile, beaming at each other, and pecking each other on the lips

Tao kissed all along Sehun’s side, then, the bubbly feelings swelling inside him taking over, he pressed his lips over his solar plexus, and blew a raspberry

Sehun burst out laughing, and mock-punched his shoulder, spluttering, ‘Taozi! Waaahht.. ‘

Laughing himself, Tao just blew another one against his stomach. The ticklish spurt had Sehun doubling up, giggling uncontrollably, and he retaliated by stuffing his hands into Tao’s shirt, to tickle him

 

Gasping and laughing and begging the other to stop, the boys kept going, interspersing their kisses and increasingly sharper nips and bites with tickling and (once Tao found Sehun’s weak point) blowing into ears, till somehow they found themselves breathless and aroused and naked and giggling all at the same time.

Panting, they stopped, Tao kneeling on the bed between Sehun’s legs, as he sat up, leaning his back against the headboard. For a moment, they just looked each other over, the snowy light glinting over the pearl pink of Sehun’s wet lips, and the spattering of dark curls on Tao’s chest, their heaving abdomens as they struggled for breath, and their bulging erections, both straining upright…

 

Simultaneously, their desire spiralled through to the forefront, grabbing both of them stronger than ever before, and they lunged for each other as one, Tao pushing Sehun down, as Sehun pulled Tao over. The next minute, he was gasping, his eyes widening as Tao shifted upwards, and reached behind himself to clasp Sehun’s dick, rubbing it up and down…

Once..

Twice…

Then positioning himself over it

 

‘Taozi!’

 

Tao only grinned down at him, a cheeky note to his smile as he brought his hand forward, up to his mouth, and spat on it..

A long viscid line of spit trailing onto his palm, the path of which Sehun could only follow helplessly…

Then he took his hand back again, to rub his spit all over Sehun’s unbelievably swollen dick, lubricating it..

 

Even the feel of that wetness was enough to send flashes of pleasure sizzling through him, and he reached down too, his fingers twining with Tao’s rougher, stronger, bigger ones around his dick, the sensation feeling somehow new and unbearably good…

 

Reaching his face upwards to suck just at the top of Tao’s collarbone, he lifted his other hand around, to curve over Tao’s butt, kneading his cheeks, before slipping his fingers into the crack..

Circling lightly around his anus..

Eliciting a groan of anticipation and need from the bigger boy, before he slid one finger in, slowly… a little bit at a time…

Tao groaned again, louder and more frantic now, and bucked, sending Sehun’s finger all the way in

Sehun quickly added his second finger, thrusting both in and out, rhythmically..

Strongly…

Tao’s hand around Sehun’s dick followed his movements, clenching and releasing, moving up and down with each thrust…

 

Pleasure and want flooding their senses, the anticipation pulling their voices out in moans and indecipherable grunts…

 

Till neither of them could take it anymore..

 

Bracing himself with his hands on either side of Sehun’s head, Tao lifted his hips upwards, leaving Sehun to pull his dick into place as he slammed down, the sudden pain making him scream out loud, as Sehun thrust upwards simultaneously, his engorged cock filling Tao, like he would tear.. 

But this pain overshadowed completely by the whirlpools of pleasure that crested and eddied through him

 

Lifting up again, then banging down again…

 

Over and over…

 

Kissing each other as they thrust, so hard, Sehun’s lip split, a trickle of blood mixing with their already mingling saliva, adding a metallic tang that had Tao shivering and suckling harder

Drops of their sweat flying as they heaved.. 

 

He was a second away from coming, when he felt Sehun tighten under him.

Sehun made to pull out, but Tao pushed deeper, purposely clenching his burning muscles around him, (Sehun groaning at the vice-like throbbing) trapping him, as Sehun came, squirting an incredibly load right into Tao..

It was like he was being filled all over again, the come wet and slimy and reaching so  _so_ deep inside…

The sensation had him coming himself too, and he spent himself over Sehun, thick wet drips clumping over Sehun’s stomach, dripping over his skin, shiny with their blended sweat…

 

Even with his legs shaking, Tao managed to pull himself upright and lift Sehun into his arms again, and, as Sehun wound his arms around his neck, resting his head against his neck, carried him into the bathroom.

They showered together, kissing and soaping each other, too tired to play around now, but smiling happily all the while.

Climbing naked into Sehun’s bed again, Tao carefully pulled the covers over both of them, and Sehun scooted into his arms, as they both cuddled up together, and promptly fell asleep, their hands and legs and fingers all tangled up, their lips pressed together as they drifted off.

 

 

It must’ve been a couple of hours later, with the darkness starting to fall, when Sehun stirred, his sleep disturbed by movements beside him. Vaguely, he realised Tao was leaving…

 

Sure enough, the cold wafted into him as half of his bed became empty and desolate once more…

 

But he was so tired…

_So sleepy…_

 

When Sehun woke again, Tao was climbing under the covers next to him, pulling him close once again.

 

Pushing himself as close to Tao as he could get, Sehun buried his face in Tao’s neck..

That smell was beyond addictive... sweat and so manly, and  _so Tao_ …

 

Still half drunk on sleep, Sehun whispered without lifting his head, his lips moving along Tao’s skin

‘Where did you….’

'Hmm? Just out… needed to get something..’ Tao chuckled, and ruffled his hair. ‘Its nothing, go back to sleep’

Sehun cracked his eyes open, and spotted a white plastic bag on the nightstand next to Tao.

Wide awake now, he sat up, a laugh beginning to light his face as he lunged over Tao, grabbing the bag

‘What is it, what is it??!’ Giggling in anticipation, he quickly emptied the bag over Tao’s lap as he sat up too…

Then the smile faded, and his breath hitched.

‘T..Tao..zi..’

Sehun felt a lump swell painfully in his throat, as he stared at the bottles, their gleaming labels visible even in the twilight. 

 

Yellow

Blues

Three shades of Green

Purples and Pinks and Carroty orange

 

Wordless, Sehun looked up at Tao, who was looking embarrassed, yet determined.

 

‘Hun-ah, I – ‘

 

But his words were cut off as Sehun launched himself into him, laughing and kissing him, while feeling like he’d start crying any second, thanking him over and over

 

‘But Taozi… you  _do_ realise these are too many?’

They had put the haircolours carefully back on the nightstand, and were lying down again, Tao spooning Sehun, who had his arms wrapped around Tao’s.  

Tao chuckled, blushing. ‘well.. I wasn’t sure..what you’d want, and I don’t know what colours you like…’

Sehun pressed a kiss to Tao's wrist.

‘Black and white’

‘hm?’

‘my favourite colours. Black and white..’

Tao pulled away, in mock anger

‘You mean I went to all this trouble for nothing??!! I could’ve just gotten you some black… and you’d look like a normal person too!’

 

Laughing, almost ecstatically happy in his new confidence from being sure of Tao’s feelings, Sehun just turned over, and burrowed into Tao.

 

‘You know you adore my totally fly hair’

 Tao huffed, but the spreading crimson over his collar bones told a different story.

 

They were almost asleep again, when Sehun scooted upwards, pressing his lips against Tao’s ear, and whispered, making his eyes snap open, and his hands clench against Sehun’s sides.

 

‘Wo ai ni, Taozi.’ 


	7. Chapter Seven

Sniff

 

Sniff

 

Sniffle

 

Tao’s eyes flickered open, to find Sehun leaning over him, experimentally poking the corner of the blanket into his nose.

'OOOYY!’ as Tao roared and made to grab at Sehun, he snapped back, giggling and trying to fend Tao off with his palms outstretched. Laughing, Tao wrapped his arms around him, and pulled him under himself, pinning him down. 

‘Gerroff! Taozi I can’t breathe!!’

‘Good!’

‘ _Get off!!’_

‘Say, ‘Tao is the greatest’.’

‘Tao is an idiot’

Laughter spluttering out of him despite trying his best to seem stern, Tao wrestled Sehun, pulling his arms into a lock, and bearing down with all his weight on the slender body underneath him. Misleadingly so – Sehun was every bit as strong as any of ( _at least_ ) the first year kids in his Wushu club, as he ably demonstrated, pulling his arms out from under Tao, to wrap them tightly around his neck, trying to choke him

‘If  _you_  want  _me_  to let go,  _you_ say  _Sehun_  is the best’

 

Tao chuckled, and wrenched himself free easily, to catch Sehun’s arm once more, this time twisting it behind him, holding his legs down with his own, and stuffing his face into the pillow.

‘Did cha say something right now, eh, Hunnie?’

 

Sehun went completely still…

Immobile for a moment.

Then turned to look straight into Tao’s eyes.

His candy pink tongue slipped out, to slowly…

Languorously…

trace over his full, pearly, bottom lip

 

Tao’s throat went dry as he helplessly followed the line of glistening wetness…

 

Taking full advantage of Tao’s suddenly weakened hold, Sehun flipped them both over, climbing over Tao to straddle him.

‘ _Spineless Wushu Captain!’_

Tao burst out laughing, as a blush spread over his cheeks.  ‘That was cheating!! Blatant Foul!!’

Sehun giggled, gripping Tao’s sides with his thighs.

‘If you want me to let you up, you have to say, Sehun Oppa is the best’

‘O-ppa?’

‘Umm!’ Sehun nodded firmly.

‘What does that mean??’

‘Its just…. Like, respectful…’

 

‘ _res…pectful, huh?’_

Tao thought the red suddenly creeping into Sehun’s glowing, almost translucent skin, was highly suspicious.

 

‘Umm!! Its like..what you say to someone older… that sort of thing.’

 

He rocked back and forth, pressing his hands into Tao’s and pinning them into the bed on either side.

‘Anyway, you have to say it’

‘ _O-pa?_  I have to say  _Sehun Oppa is the best_?’

Sehun was completely red now, the crimson spreading all over his neck, dipping into the hollows of his collar bones.

‘Like you mean it’

 

Tao felt butterflies flitting through his stomach at the sight of the suddenly shy boy over him, who was biting his lower lip, his head turned away….

 

He bent his fingers, to trace along the back of Sehun’s hands.

 

‘Okay.  
Sehun Oppa Is The Best.’

 

His voice came out almost like a growl, husky and smoky.

 

Sehun’s head snapped back, his eyes shining to meet Tao’s, his skin now incredibly fiery.

 

Choking slightly over his words, he leant forward a bit.   
‘A..ag.. Again?’   
His voice was hesitant, yet somehow so greedy…

 

Tao scissored his legs, making Sehun flop down on his back, beside him, then flipped over himself to shove his chin into his chest, looking up at the gasping kid.

He smiled naughtily, lightly tracing his fingers over Sehun’s delicate features 

Pressing his lips to his chest, he whispered the words in little kisses over Sehun’s skin

 

‘Sehun’

‘Oppa’

‘is the’

 

‘Best’

Ending right over his nipple, catching it lightly between his teeth

 

 

 

 

Half an hour later, they collapsed onto the bed, side by side, panting and gasping for breath.

Turning to grin at him, Tao ran his fingers through Sehun’s hair.  
‘What does that mean anyway?’

 ‘Hmm?’

 ‘ _Oppa_ ’

 ‘It’s 8.30, don’t you have to get home?’

 

Tao weakly scrabbled at Sehun’s pits, too tired out to raise the strength to actually tickle him.   
‘Ass. Don’t try and change the subject.’

 

‘Ah!’ Sehun quickly lifted his hand to smoothen his hair, pouting at Tao. ‘You know.. I feel like having this sort of shitty hair colour is sapping my life force’   
He sighed theatrically.  
‘Aaah-ah. The person responsible must be so  _cruel_ ’

 

Tao gasped, his curiosity forgotten, sitting up to stare at Sehun, his expression wounded and hurt, his eyes starting to gleam wet.   
‘I.. I’m  _Sorry!!_ I even got you –‘ he picked up the hair colours on the nightstand, proffering them ‘Look, Hun-ah, you can pick  _any_ of these-‘

 

Sehun, suppressing his giggles, pulled Tao into a bear hug, kissing him deeply. ‘I know, I know, I was just teasing!! I’m sorry!’

 

Tao sulked for a bit, a pout filling his mouth, and Sehun, repentant now, cuddled him, and kissed him, and tenderly patted his hair, between soft whispers, his hot breath brushing sweetly against Tao’s face, ‘There, there, Taozi.. Tao-ah…’

 

 _It felt_ so _good – to be able to just do whatever, to be able to act however he wanted, without over thinking, without worrying about anything..Somehow, he felt so sure of himself…he could be as spoiled or as strong as he wanted_

 _With Sehun, he could just be…so…_ free _!_

 

Tao kept up his pout for as long as he could – he couldn’t get enough of Sehun’s petting – but soon the fluffy softness filling his heart turned to gales of laughter, as Sehun, in an attempt to cheer him up, started making all sorts of weird faces, screwing up his nose and twisting his lips.

 

‘Ohhmygod, that..that one..you look like..

 …like…

  _Omg_ is that supposed to be a  _sloth??!!_ ’

 Tao could hardly get the words out, overcome with his laughter.

 

‘Hmmph!’

Now Sehun was the one acting childish and cute, his expression a picture perfect rendition of ‘being offended’. Turning frequently to glare at Tao, he got up and pulled on his PJs, then, gathering up the bottles of hair dye from where they had rolled all over the bed, he cradled them in his arms and flounced off to the bathroom.

 

till laughing, Tao rolled off the bed, pausing to put on his uniform trousers, before following Sehun.   
He’d hardly taken two steps, though, when he leapt back with a cry, quickly pulling on the rest of his uniform, even his blazer –  _It was cold!!!_

_What was that boy, totally immune to the weather??!!_

Arguing with himself the possibility that Sehun was after all, some sort of mythical, magical creature, (and only 90% joking), Tao finally headed towards to bathroom. He was just halfway across the room, though, when his little elf poked his head out the door

 ‘Don’t come!’

 ‘Huuuunnn-aahh! C’mon-‘

 ‘No!!! Don’t come, its going to be a surprise!!’

 ‘what… your new hair colour?’

 ‘ _Umm!!_ So don’t come in!’

 ‘Fine, fine…’

 

As Sehun disappeared into the bathroom again, Tao paused in the middle of the room.

 

 

 

Now what…?

 

 

 

Then he realised exactly where he was, alone for the first time.

 

 _His_ room.

He turned around slowly, his eyes focusing on everything.

So this was Sehun’s bedroom, eh…   
It was bigger than his own – The entire house was tiny, consisting of just the hall, a kitchen and the bedroom,(with an attached bath), but the bedroom itself was big enough to make it comfortable, even luxurious.   
While Tao, in his bedroom, had a single bed against one wall, Sehun had a double bed smack in the centre, with multiple covers, and pillows (now all rumpled and crushed, or flung all over the floor, a sight Tao couldn’t help blushing and smiling at). There were matching nightstands on either side, and the headboard and foot were ornate and carved beautifully…

The window on the wall adjacent was veiled with a thin, pretty white curtain, that flapped and fluttered, letting in streams of golden from the streetlamps outside, that spilled in icy silken sheens over the hardwood floor…

A bookshelf lined the next wall, beside the door to the closet…

Tao stepped towards it, running his hand along the shiny covers of all the latest manga.

_Ahh.. so this is the sort of thing he likes_

There were rows of Shounen manga…. Action packed, and gory, with an entire line devoted to the best fighting-themed ones.   
Tao grinned.  
Somehow, it suited Sehun perfectly. Even though anyone else would’ve been shocked at the delicate,  fragile looking, flower boy’s tastes, Tao knew him better.

 

 _Hmm??  
 _ The low stand next to the TV caught his eye then, and he bent over to peer at the stacks of DVDs..

Jet Li..Jackie Chan.. Bruce Lee… it was an entire collection centred around martial arts movies..

In spite of himself, Tao felt a giggle tumbling out.   
  _Well, this was serendipitous_

Just as he reached for a case, a whine sounded from the bathroom.

 

‘Taaaooozzzii!’

 ‘Hmm? What?’

 ‘I can’t see you! I want to see you!!’

Tao grinned to himself.

_Honestly, this kid!!_

‘You were the one who-‘

Tao headed back to the bathroom,mock-grumbling, but just as he was about to slide open the half-shut door, the silvery voice hit him again.

 

‘ _NO!! Don’t come in!!’_

‘Ok, seriously, what do you want from me!!!!’

 

‘But if you see me, then you’ll know what colour I’ve put, and I want to surprise you!

……….

Urrrmmmm…

….’

Sehun’s voice mumbled through probably an entire scale, up and down, before there was a sliding and flopping sound, and the jangle of the shower curtain.

 

‘Okkei, come in now!!’

 

His voice sparkled with laughter and that characteristic smugness, and Tao couldn’t help the beam that split across his face.   
  _He was just too adorable!!_

 

Tao stepped into the bathroom, then burst out laughing, on finding that Sehun had hidden himself in the tub, behind the drawn curtains. He went up to it, pulled the little rubber floor mat with its cartoon figures to, and sat down, next to the tub, leaning his back against the cold, tiled wall.   
Sehun crossed his arms on the edge of the tub as close to Tao as possible, and rested his head on them.

 

_This was kind of fun, somehow_

The translucent curtains only let him make out his Hunnie’s face indistinctly, even though he was right next to him, so close he could hear his breathing. The sharp, chemically tangy smell of the hair dye wafted up to him, but he could barely make out the creamy stuff plastered on Sehun’s head.

 

‘So?’

Tao’s voice was teasing, and Sehun, giggles in his voice, purred back. ‘ _So_?’

‘You were the one who wanted to see me!’

Even through the waxy curtain, Tao could see the bright pink as Sehun stuck his tongue out at him.

 

But hazy and blurry…indefinite..

Somehow, strangely, really  _really_ erotic…

 

Tao choked at the direction of his thoughts, quickly speaking to try and cover it -

‘Hun-ah!’

‘Hmm?’

 

‘…..Mmm-m! Nothing!’

The odd feelings of shyness and awkwardness seeping into Tao filled him completely, and he bent his head onto his knees, trying to hide his blushing face, even though Sehun couldn’t be able to see it anyway…   
  _Right??_

‘Hhhuu!’ Snapping his head up, he gasped, as Sehun, slipping a hand out from behind the curtain, poked one long, white finger onto his elbow -

then walked his fingers down Tao’s arm

 

Index finger…

 

Middle finger…

 

Alternating…

 

Upto Tao’s hand. 

 

Grinning, Tao slipped his own fingers between Sehun’s, and entwined their hands - 

 

Looking down, Tao felt a rush, a thrill that was exciting and comforting all at once.

 

_They were so different -_

 

Sehun’s palm smooth, perfectly velvety, against his rough, manly one…

Sehun’s fingers beautifully slender and delicately shaped between his larger, stronger ones, their knuckles heavy….

Sehun’s skin, unbelievably white and flawless, almost transparent in its porcelain loveliness beside his meltingly peach-like sunkissed tan….

 

_Yet they fit together so precisely -_

Like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle…

 

Tao lifted their clasped hands to his lips, nuzzling Sehun’s. 

 

 

 

After that, the conversation flowed like a flooding torrent between them  - there was so much they both wanted to know, so many things, little and big, that they needed to find out about each other….

 

“ _Eeeh!! Taozi’s favourite colour is blue???You should have told me earlier!!!”_

_“What, so you could have used the blue colour?”_

_“Yes!” Sehun’s earnest tones cutting through Tao’s teasing, and Tao could only chuckle in surprise, and satisfaction._

_“It’s fine, colouring your hair BLUE would be waay too extreme!!”_

_“…..er….yeah……….” Sehun cleared his throat._

_“Wait, if you think blue is too extreme, how come you got it?”_

_“Aaahhh.. I just… kinda got one of every bright colour they had, I didn’t really think it through…”_

_Now Sehun was the one giggling…._

_“Ah, I gettit! So its you, and your elder brother?”_

_“Yeah! He’s three years older…”_

_“Aaahhh… that’s nice, ne~ in my family it’s just me…”_

_“hehe! I guessed as much!”_

_“Eeh?? Whyyy??!!”_

_Sehun plucked at Tao’s fingers “Hmm..ohhh, I don’t know, maybe it’s how much of a spoiled little prince you are..”_

_Then snapping his hand back under the curtain, laughing, before the annoyed-yelling Tao could grab it…_

_“Ah! Me neither – I didn’t used to like cats at all, but then this little stray kitten just popped up out of nowhere.... he’s totally taken over my house, now he roams about freely.. he’s claimed my Dad’s armchair, if anyone sits on it,  he’ll come up to you, and glaaare so angrily, you’d get totally scared! And the minute you get up, he’ll jump on, and stretch over the whole cushion, and smirk at you like you’re some worthless little insect…”_

_“What! That sounds really annoying!!”_

_“No!! no no, he’s really cute!!!He walks around like he’s a King, its adorable!! The only person he’s afraid of is Yuki Baachan, one time, she’d made fish-fingers for me for after school, and he stole the entire plate and made off with it! and she actually chased him through the entire house, yelling at the top of her voice, It was the first time I’ve ever seen her run!!”_

_‘Other than Wushu?? Na…. I don’t really do any other sport..’_

_‘Eeehh~~ But why, you’re so good at physical stuff, you’d be awesome at other sports too, right??!!’_

_‘…… Phy..si..cal…stuff.._

_……..?’_

_‘Ohh, shuddup!!’_

_“Ano…Hun-ah…”_

_“Hmm?”_

_“Where are they now, your family?”_

_“huh? In Korea, duh!”_

_“in Korea??!! Wait..what…while you are_ here??!!!!”

_Tao’s voice went from hesitant to indignant, almost angry, in a fraction of a second, pulling Sehun’s hand to his chest._

_“How the HELL could they let you come all the way to a completely different country, ALL BY YOURSELF??!!!! What..How!!Are they crazy!!! DO you have any idea… Anything could happen, and you’re all alone here!! What if.. what if something happened??!!’_

_Spluttering in his worry, Tao descended completely into incoherency, his heart clenching around icy spikes of fear… He hadn’t really thought about it, before…but this was.. this was just…._

_Sehun only laughed “I’m not scared about anything, after all I have my Wushu Captain to take care of me!_

_Ah! Taozi, whats your absolute favouritest thing to eat, ever??!!”_

_Tao frowned as Sehun changed the subject… maybe his living situation, and his exact relations with his family was something… he didn’t want to talk about, even to him_

_Betraying himself only by the convulsive tightness with which he clutched Sehun’s hand to his heart, Tao answered , his voice as light and carefree as Sehun’s had been,– “anything Western!! Especially hot dogs and burgers and… fries!!!”_

But deep in his heart, he silently promised himself -  no matter what, no matter how hard or difficult or impossible it may seem, he would always, protect and take care of his Sehun. Nothing and No one was ever going to touch him, from now on.

It was the first time that Tao had ever felt like this – there were people in his life that he loved and adored, but never before had the conviction hit him this strongly, that if need be, he’d die for someone else…that he’d do anything, give anything, sacrifice everything, for the sake of someone else..

But now he felt like it was the most natural thing… Like it was his job, like it was something only he was meant to do… to take care of his boy, come what may…

 

_‘Okay.’_

_‘Really??!!!’_

_‘Yes, Hun-ah!’ Tao grinned. ‘I’ll take you to Clearwater, they have the best sushi…’_

_‘Taozi!! Thank You!!’ Sehun yelped, jumping to hug Tao through the curtain, whacking him in the face in the process with the plastic_

_‘ Ok, ok, but not if you kill me first!’_

_Happily, Sehun sat back down, wiggling in excitement._

_‘Where is it?’_

_‘Clearwater? It’s a restaurant in the_ _Huiquan Dynasty Hotel... the sushi_ is  _really good..’_

_‘Can we go soon?’_

_‘Yup’_

_‘..To..morrow??’_

_Tao laughed, his own body tingling with anticipation and happiness. Of course, Sehun was just thinking 'bout getting his hands on his favourite dish.._

_But…_

_It would be like…_

_Their_

_First…_

D-a-t-e .

_Tao squealed internally, hugging his knees and squirming at the thought_

_‘Uh-huh, we can totally go tomorrow..Sehun-Oppa.’_

 

For a moment there was absolute silence on the other side of the shower curtain.

Then Sehun quietly turned right around, his back to Tao, and buried his face against the wall, moaning incoherently.

Tao looked at his hazy back, lightning fizzing up and down his body

_This was really fun…_

_Somehow, this..’oppa’ thing, whatever it was, was totally incredible!_

‘So, let’s go tomorrow, right after school, k,  _Sehun-oppa_? Ah! I forgot, I have club! Mmmm.. I think I’ll just bunk club tomorrow, once in a way is fine, right, Oppa??’

Aaa-ah, ne,  _Oppaaaa!!_ Are you listening??!

 

Sehun, his insides rigid with desire, even realising Tao was doing it on purpose now, couldn’t stop the sizzling in his veins…

Absolutely at his limit, he stood up abruptly.

Stepping out of the tub, all thoughts of hiding his head from Tao vanishing…

For a moment, he just stood in front of Tao, looking down at him.

 

Then he squatted down, his knees touching Tao’s, as he slowly slid his hand into Tao’s hair, fingering a lock of silky black..

 

Then tracing downwards..

 

To cup his face, as Tao’s skin started turning crimson, matching the tomato red that was spreading over Sehun’s cheeks..to his neck, even his ears burning..

 

Slowly, he applied pressure, tilting Tao’s head, and drawing it near, as he slowly brought his own lips closer.

 

For a moment, only their breaths tangled, hot on each other’s trembling lips.

In that heartbeat, Tao felt his stomach clenching at Sehun’s sudden boldness..

_He wanted more, he wanted Sehun to take more from him…_

_He wanted Sehun to take him over totally_

 

Then they touched…

Fire and ice,

wet and dry…

sharp and soft…

Shaking…

 

They kissed..

Deeper and deeper…

 

Tao kneeling now, Sehun with him, so their bodies were pressed against each other as close as possible, trapped in the throes of some inexplicable frenzy.. maddened and crazy, totally overwhelmed...

hands gripping and clawing, their nails ripping, their tongues kneading frenetically together..

 

Then suddenly, both of them sprang apart, laughing.

 

 

 

The creamy hairdye was now in patches, smeared over Tao’s face, and smudged over his hair

‘Waaa~~ Taozi is gonna have coloured hair too!’

Tao abruptly stopped laughing to stare with widened eyes at Sehun, shock spreading over his expression.

‘WHAT??!!!  _NO!!!_ ‘

He jumped up, reaching into the tub for the handspray, twisting the handle on, as he frantically washed off the cream

 

It took at least a full minute for him to notice Sehun, sprawled over the floor, laughing his head off, pounding the tiles with a fist.

‘Ta…Tao…ah…. Your face!!’

 

‘Huh??!’

 

‘What do you think I was waiting for, all this while, the colour doesn’t come that easily, you have to let it sit for 45mins!!’

 

Tao glared at Sehun..

 

Then turned the nozzle on him, spraying him with the steaming water

 

Sehun yelped and jumped up, his eyes screwed up shut as he tried to get to Tao, his hands outstretched.

Now Tao was the one laughing, till, taking pity on his boy, he lowered the pipe, and grabbing Sehun’s hand, helped him into the tub.

 

‘It’s been an hour already, idiot, let’s wash it off, k’

 

‘ _Umm_.’ Sehun nodded assent, then sat obediently at Tao’s feet, as Tao carefully washed his hair, cleaning off all the dye…

Gently massaging his scalp, and rubbing his soft hair, making Sehun stretch sinuously in enjoyment…

 

Finally, all the used dye was swirling down the drains, and Sehun stood up, grinning at Tao who was frowning at his straw coloured head.

 

‘What….which colour is this??’

 

‘Nothing! It’s wet, silly. I have to dry it first!’

 

‘Aah.’

 

As they both went into the bedroom, Tao walked ahead to the closet, and pulled out a blue T shirt and black tracks, tossing it to Sehun. ‘Put this on, don’t you even realise how cold it is!’

 

Sehun caught the clothes, then slid his hands into the waistband of his now wet PJs, making to pull it off –

Then stopped.

‘Close your eyes!’

 

Tao gaped at him for a moment.. then turned completely lobster red, and screwing his eyes tight, turned around, presenting his back to Sehun.

_Crap._

_His heart was pounding so hard with just this…_

_Even though they had…_

_So many times…_

_Even then…_

_What was this shyness..this embarrassment??!!_

 

_he felt like he was burning up from the inside out, his middle turning into a molten pool of desire and need and at the same time, this shyness butterflying through his stomach…._

The sound of a switch being flipped had him turning back, to find Sehun dressed fully, plugging in a hair dryer, and switching it on.

‘Even Taozi change..You’re wet too…’

Sehun’s voice was quiet, shaky even if the blowing roar of the dryer hadn’t been there…

 

‘Hmm. I’ll…borrow something then…’

Tao rummaged in Sehun’s closet, picking out a Tee and shorts, and quickly changed into them, forcing himself to ignore the way they smelled so potently of Sehun. Firmly tugging the bottom of the Tee over the drawstringed waist of the shorts, he took a deep, bracing breath, and turned.

 

The fine golden hairs on Sehun’s neck caught and sparkled in the light, as he bent his head, vigorously running his hand through his hair under the hot blasts of air

Tao just stared at those little delicate strands for moment

It felt like…

 

Like he’d discovered something huge, something earth shattering…

Something  _epic_ , like those mysteries people spent their whole lives searching for… He felt the exultation pound through him, thundering through every vein and nerve and sinew..

 

Then the moment passed, and he walked closer, taking the dryer from Sehun, and proceeding to dry his hair for him

Sehun giggled and squirmed as Tao wafted the air over his head, purposely letting a puff into his ear, tickling him, and running his long, strong fingers over his scalp.

He leaned back, against Tao, sighing with delight. ‘from now on, I’m calling you every time I wash my hair’

Tao chuckled, then bent forward to quickly land a peck on his cheek. ‘Ii yo’

 

Sehun blushed and rubbed his head hard into Tao’s chest, as Tao continued gently drying his hair.

 

But

As Sehun’s hair dried, and the new colour…..

Started…

Blazing out….                                                                                                  

 

‘OKAY, WHAT the hell!!!!!’

Tao pulled back, accidently hitting himself over the forehead with the hot metal, not even realising it himself, though Sehun yelped, and made to rub the mark that was forming bright red on Tao’s head

 

Disbelief…

 

Shock…

 

Then utter helplessness spreading over his face, Tao weakly backed away, all the way to sit on the bed.

 

 ‘Did…’ he coughed, before starting again.

‘Is there  _any_ shade you didn’t try…’

 

‘Nope!’ Sehun grinned happily, flashing him a cute smile, one eye closed, and his fingers signing a ‘V’.

 

‘Se..SEHUN!!!!’ Tao stared at the rainbow coloured head – red, orange, a lock of blue, yellows, pink… pretty much every colour you could think of, it had made an appearance, Sehun’s head resembling nothing more than a exceptionally flashy tropical bird had roosted on it.

‘What  _in the world were you even thinking??!!_ You total  _idiot,_  now you’ll have to colour it again, you’re totally gonna spoil your hair!’

 

‘Eeeh?!’ Sehun turned to gape wide mouthed at him. ‘Colour it again??  _Why?’_

‘……..why….. because we have school tomorrow…??’

 

‘So?’

 

‘ _So?? SO you can’t go to school like that!!!_ ’

 

Sehun grinned, and came up to Tao, squatting on the ground to place his chin on Tao’s knee and looked up at him, his eyes big and gleaming, exactly like a little puppy

 

‘Does it look bad?’

 

Tao opened his mouth to strongly confirm that it  _did_ indeed look terrible..But then he took a closer look…

The vivid colors contrasting so perfectly with the smooth, translucent, pearly dew-like skin.. the soft rainbow only enhancing and defining that perfect jawline, those crested cheeks…

 

Feeling totally helpless and weak, but for a totally different reason now, Tao stammered

‘Aaahhh….eeerr… well….

 

Well, somehow, its totally crazy, like  _totally CRAZY,_ but it doesn’t actually look…eeerr… _bad_ or anything…’

 

 _‘Irresistable was more like it’_ , thought Tao silently, lifting his hand hesitantly to run his fingers through it…

 

And again…

 

‘But that’s not the point!!’

 

Sehun laughed knowingly and danced off, twirling to the mirror, where he posed, pulling his hair this way and that.

Satisfied, he turned to Tao, blowing a kiss at him.

 

‘Since my TaoTao got me these, I wanted to use  _all_ of them! Hehe~~ aah, this looks so cool, ne, Taoya, this looks so cool, right??!!’

Excitement bubbling through him, he turned back to check the mirror, then turned to Tao again

 

‘Are…are you even listening to a single thing I’ve said, for God’s sake…’

Tao mumbled, but he couldn’t hide the smile that twinkled out.

_Aaa-ah. There was NO way he could get into a tiff with him…he was just so irresistibly cute, looking so happy, as he sparkled about like a fairy straight out of some dream Tao had forgotten he’d ever had, till this moment…_

Grinning now, Tao went up to him, and hugged him from behind, kissing the back of his neck. ‘It really looks cool.’

‘Tao-ya wants to colour your hair too, then?’

‘ _No_.’

Sehun turned around in his arms, to fiddle with Tao’s shirt. ‘Why not, then we’d be all nice and matching.’ He pouted.

Tao laughed, he knew Sehun was just teasing him, and he was right – as he watched, a mischievous smile tugged at Sehun’s downcast lips.

‘Theres still a lot of the blue left…’ Sehun looked up, grinning cheekily.

‘…o..kay, i..i’ll do it then!’

Sehun gasped, his mouth dropping, and Tao laughed at how he’d completely fallen for it.

‘Of course not, idiot, one psycho in the relationship is sufficient-‘

 

His words cut off, though, as his ringtone wailed loudly, cutting through the intimacy of the moment.

_‘Oh NO!’_

 

Groaning, Tao went into the hall, where he’d dropped his bag earlier, and sitting on the floor beside it, rummaged inside, pulling out his angrily vibrating phone, and, screwing up his courage, flicked it open.

Sure enough – he didn’t even need to put it up to his ear for his mom’s voice to pierce through him.

‘HUANG ZITAO!!!! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING…..’

As he tried to make calming noises through her yelling, which continued on and on, without even a pause for breath, Sehun, who had followed him out, wrapped his arms around him, and climbed onto his lap, pushing his face into Tao’s neck.

 

‘Mom.. mom I’m fine-‘

‘I RAN HOME, EVEN THOUGH HALF THE ROADS ARE CLOSED, AND I WAS SO WORRIED, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW ANXIOUS I WAS ALL DAY, MY LITTLE BOY HOME ALONE AND ILL…’

‘Mom.. I’m not ill, I’m perfectl-‘

‘OH SO NOW YOU’RE A DOCTOR, ARE YOU, YOU KNOW BETTER THAN ANYONE, IS THAT RIGHT??!!!’

‘No, mommy, that’s not it, I was feeling much better in the morni- _ing_ ’

 

The last word ended on an abruptly high pitched note, as Sehun drew his tongue over the side of his neck, before latching his teeth on it, and suckling

Tao quickly stood up, pushing him off, but the imp wasn’t to be denied – he followed him as he spun around, stuffing one hand into Tao’s shirt. With the other, he placed a finger against his lips, and motioned to the phone, gesturing Tao to silence just as opened his mouth wide to tell him to stop.

 

Helpless, Tao closed his mouth firmly, trying his best to get away from Sehun with just one hand, the other clenching his phone

 

‘GOING TO SCHOOL EVEN WHEN I TOLD YOU NOT TO, WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT SCHOOL, DON’T YOU CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE, NO, OF COURSE YOU DON’T, ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS YOUR STUPID GRADES..

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TIME IT IS, AND YOU’RE STILL OUT, IN THIS WEATHER, WHEN YOU’RE ALREADY ILL, IT’S THAT STUPID CLUB, ISN’T IT, THAT’S IT TAO, _NO MORE WUSHU_!!’

‘No, mommy, I’m not at school now, I-

 

wentovertoafriendshouse!’

Sehun was slipping one finger experimentally into his shorts, and Tao almost yelped, springing away.

 

‘DON’T YOU LIE TO ME, NOW, HUANG ZITAO!!  _FRIEND’S HOUSE!!_ HA! THE LAST TIME YOU WENT OVER TO A FRIEND’S HOUSE AFTER SCHOOL YOU WERE FIVE-‘

 

 

‘Good Evening, Huang Tàitai!’ To Tao’s horror, Sehun snatched the phone away from him. Frantically, he reached for it, but Sehun held it away from him, spinning around.

‘Yes.’

‘Yes, I’m Oh Sehun, I’m Tao’s classmate…’

‘No, no, he’s been here since afternoon, well before it started snowing..’

‘yes.’

‘No, no….’

‘Ah, just a bit, but he slept all evening, here…’

‘No, no, it was probably just some sort of stomach bug….’

‘Ah, yes, I think so too! Yes I will.’

‘Yes, its perfectly alright!’

‘Yes!’

‘No, no, not at all! Please don’t worry at all!’

‘Yes! Good night then!’

 

Grinning, Sehun turned, snapped the phone closed, and tossed it to Tao, a smug look plastered on his face.

‘You, babe, are spending the night.’

Tao stared at him, lifting his head that he had been holding in his hands, resigned to the disaster he was expecting

‘Huh??’

‘Ah, c’mon, get with it, She said you could spend the night, coz its snowing real hard, and she said you were to be good, and not trouble me, oh, and she said you’re an idiot, but I already knew that.’

‘…….no  _way!!_ ’

‘It’s actually quite obvious…’

Finally sobering at the sight of Tao’s face, he looked seriously at him. ‘I didn’t tell her I lived alone, baka, she told me a whole list of things to tell my ‘mom’, and she said to tell you to be on your best behaviour with my ‘family’ coz she was too angry with you to talk to you herself… ‘

‘Oh’

Sehun sighed, going up to him. ‘She sounds really nice though… haven’t you ever..’

‘WOW, I can’t believe you got around my Mom!!!!!’ Tao blurted, cutting off Sehun before he could go any further, forcing a smile on his face…

 

Which soon became thoroughly real as he realised he was going to spend the whole entire night, the  _whole_ night with  _him!!_  The butterflies in his stomach took flight again, and he suddenly found himself unable to meet the shining eyes looking up at him.

_Ohhh shoot!!_

_Exactly how hard had he fallen for this kid…!!!_

_He can’t keep breaking apart at every little thing, reacting so damn violently to everything…_

_Losing it like this…_

Looking away, he cleared his throat a few times, struggling to get control of himself..

 

Not for nothing had he maintained his image of perfect Huang Zitao all these years – if need be, he could hide his emotions quite well!!

 

Pulling a neutral smile onto his lips, he turned back, to look down at Sehun.

 

‘Well.. first thing, give me your wet clothes, I’ll run them in the wash with my uniform’

Keeping his voice steady and matter of fact

_That’s right! Something like this was perfectly normal… he did it a thousand times!_

(actually he had never spent a whole night with someone, even with Kris, it had been dates lasting for a couple of hours at most, and whenever Tao went over, usually during a weekend afternoon, he always left before it got dark..)

 

_but there was no need for Sehun to know that!_

 

Casually, he turned to pick up his uniform, and walked over to get Sehun’s dripping PJs. He’d just bent down, when a warm, soft weight barrelled into him, and Sehun’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him about. Sehun’s wondrously sexy lips fastened over his, sucking and pulling on his mouth, before letting go, and he buried his head in Tao’s chest, squeezing him tight...

Before leaning to look up at him, not letting go, the widest grin splitting his face..

 

A flick of bright pink hair falling over his forehead, as he beamed up at Tao –

 

‘I’M HAPPY TOO!!! I can spend the whole entire night with you!!’

 

Tao gaped at him for a moment, then shook his head in defeat, grinning.

_Aaahh, as usual, his baby could see right through him, no matter how hard he tried…_

He ran his hand through the rainbow, and titled Sehun’s head sharply; holding him by the chin, he kissed him deeply, his heart full and light and more happy than he had ever been, probably in his life.

 

Breaking apart, they just looked at each other, for a long while, their smiles fading, as their expressions grew grave... Both of them feeling the whisperings of awe and wonder at what they had somehow found, so incredibly, so extraordinarily, in the other... it would have been so very easy, all it would've taken was the slightest chance, and they'd never ever have discovered this...

In that moment, it was a thoroughly humbling realisation.

 

Then Tao slung one arm around Sehun’s neck, pulling him close as he carefully held up the wet clothes with the other, and they made their way to the small utility room off the kitchen. 

 

They couldn’t keep their hands off each other, needing to constantly touch, Sehun rubbing Tao’s arm, Tao chucking Sehun’s head….

 

Frequently pecking and nipping and kissing…

 

Hugging and cuddling…

Tugging at the other’s sleeve, pulling the other’s waist…

 

they laughed and happily argued their way through two completely burnt attempts at making pasta for dinner, and a few shots at flavour that totally missed

[[[I _TOLD you it needs more water!_

_No, you idiot, it wasn’t the water, you just put too pasta!_

_Hey, I’m hungry!!_

_…………._

_……_

 

_AAAAAAHHHHHH!! You were supposed to watch the timer!!!_

_Huh??!! ME??!! You were the one in charge of the time, I was doing the vegetables!_

_No, we_ both  _were doing the vegetables!_

_…………………………_

_…………._

 

 

 _Huh??!!!_ (Tao tentatively tasted it*)

_Wh…wha…._

_Sehun!! I’m not kidding, this tastes like_ chocolate!!!!!!

_Yeah._

_Huhhhh???_

_I put chocolate in._

_…….._

_WHYYYY???!!!!!!_

_Ehh, hasn’t Taozi heard of chocolate pasta??!_

_Eerrrmmm.. NO??!!! coz theres no such thing!!_

_Pfft!_ (Sehun looked at him like he was a worthless peasant)

_Chocolate pasta is the best!!!!_

(Tao stared at him with a totally straight face for a moment, then held out the loaded fork.)

_k. You try it._

_…………………_

_Uuummm…. hey, Taotao, wanna order in?_

_No one’ll deliver in this snow_ (Tao laughed out the words)

 

 

_OKAY, I think the pineapple isn’t working._

_But… but.. Yuki baachan always puts pineapple in…. why is it looking like this, it never looks like this!!!_

_I.. guess its better if you use actual pineapple…._

_Huhhh, wwhhhhhyyyy, pineapple jam has pineapple too, right!!!! Pineapple is pineapple!!_ ]]]

 

Before settling down in front of the TV, cuddling together under one blanket, both holding steaming bowls of ramen.

 

They watched an old Jackie Chan flick, laughing and frequently interrupting each other and the dialogue, eating ramen off of each other’s chopsticks, and fighting over who took a bigger bite…

 

 

The ending credits rolled to an oft-heard, familiar Chinese love song, as Tao stretched, and looked down –

Sehun was asleep, curled up in his lap, his face buried in Tao’s chest. Even the vibrantly brilliant rainbowing head seemed to be silent, dimming itself in its dreams.

 _He’d_ thought _things had been rather quiet for a bit_

Tao smiled fondly down…unknown to him, his affection glowing through his face in his tenderness, an expression so pure and true, broadcasting his already unshakable, already immense, already firmly established love.

 

Careful not to disturb him, Tao hooked his arms under Sehun, and stood in one smooth motion, holding him close to his chest. Sehun didn’t even stir as Tao flicked the TV off, and carried him to the bed, nuzzling his cheek as he exulted in the warm weight in his arms…

Perfectly familiar to him now..

But not even the littlest bit less breathtaking

 

 

Tao stopped to switch the lights off on the way, leaving the room wreathed in chilly darkness, broken only by the warm pools of honey gold spilling in from the street lamps outside the window. Shadows chased across the floor, matching the glitteringly splendid flakes of snow that swirled and danced in the night. Sehun’s hair catching the occasionally glimmer, glowing in its rioting tints for just a single pulse, then fading away…

His eyelashes long and trembling against the luscious swell of his cheek…

Tao felt an almost crippling emotion hit him…

 _He was_ his!!  _This perfect, impossibly beautiful boy, incredibly lovely inside and out - this gorgeous kid was_ his,  _he belonged, all, entirely, to Tao, and only to Tao!!!_

 

Gently, he set him down in the bed, and climbed in beside him, pulling the covers around them both.

Sehun rolled over, cuddling into Tao as much he possibly could, as Tao hugged him close.

‘Ta..o..zi..’ He murmured, frowning slightly in his sleep

‘I’m right here, babe’

Tao kissed his forehead. ‘I love you, Hun ah’

Sehun smiled, kissing Tao (on his chest, the part closest to his lips). ‘I love you Taozi’ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

[A/n] [Author's  _desperate_ note] Waaaa~~ can i even write all this fluffiness??!!! Isn't it boring??!!! I'm so sorry, but as long as their relationship is in this phase its all gonna be like this!! I know, i know, i'm a total noob at writing!! My fluff isn't even good ToT

and i have NO idea how to make it better and more interesting!!!!!!

I hope you don't mind...

*at this point, i have no idea what i'm even doing, writing fanfic* 

 

anyway>> 

i forgot to mention in the last chapter, but Sehun's fav colour IS actually black and white..

similarly, Tao's is blue.

 

the 'sloth' reference is to that one radio show... [they were all asked to introduce themselves with an animal sound, and Hunnie chose 'Sloth'] [will link when i find it, i forgot which show it was... ]

likewise, i'll add the link when i find it, of the movie thing -- { in an interview [??] in Beijing, Sehun said from the time he was a child, he'd been a fan of Chinese martial arts.. [Taohun shipper say whaaaatt ;P] }

Sehun reportedly DOES have an elder brother, 3 yrs older...

Tao's fav animal  - black cat, and he has [or had] one

Sehun's fav food - meat and Sushi

Clearwater Japan Sea is a really good sushi restaurant in Qingdao

Tao's fav food - 'Western' [but i don't really know EXACTLY what, so the hot dog, etc thing was just a guess]

And Sehun putting chocolate in pasta -- lolol reference to that ST ep when Chen was making rice, n Sehun tried to talk him into adding chocolate :D

  
  
  
THIS CHAPTER IS TEARFULLY DEDICATED TO THE ALL OF, what, 72-ish HOURS, WHEN THE COMEBACK TRACK OF 2015 WAS **CALL ME DADDY.**  
  
//roflmaooo i really did want it, orz, the entertainment factor wudv totally outweighed the the utter cringeworthy-ness of that supposed demo kekeke 


	8. Chapter Eight

Sehun cracked his eyes open to the smell of coffee deliciously wafting through the apartment.

_If he just rolled down a bit in the bed –  
_ _Perfect!_

He could see through the open door right into the kitchen, where a tall, excitingly broad, wonderfully strong back was bent over the coffee pot.

Giggling happily to himself, he wiggled deeper into the covers, burying his face into the comforter, that still smelled scrumptiously of Tao, leaving only his eyes peeking out to watch his boy.

Sehun bit back an exultant laugh with difficulty…  
 _Who’d have thought…_  
 _Even a day earlier, if someone had told him that he’d actually manage to be able to think of Tao as ‘_ his’  _he’d have died laughing at them!_  
 _But somehow…_  
Somehow  
 _It made it seem like everything was worth it… everything, all of it…_

_Everything was fine if he could just have Tao_

Sehun quickly snapped his eyes shut, and scrunched his face into the bed, as Tao turned around, carrying a loaded tray ( _where in the world did he find that from, Sehun was reasonably sure he didn’t even_ own _a tray_ ), pretending to still be asleep. Footsteps sounded closer, and there was a clink of the cups rattling together, and the scrape of the tray being set down on the nightstand. Sehun willed his stomach not to growl at the mouth watering smells of sausages and bacon floated around him, as the part of the bed next to him was pushed down

‘Hun-ah!’

Tao was sitting right beside him, bending over him so close…

Sehun was  _so_  grateful he’d thought to hide his face, there was no way he was letting Tao see how much he was blushing right now – there was definitely nothing he had ever come across in his entire life as potently sexy and at the same time, somehow heart wrenching, as the scents that were coiling around him – the smell of  _his_ shampoo, and soap, mixing erotically with that smell that was purely Tao…

 _There couldn’t possibly be_ anything _as hot as this.. this sense of ownership and belonging…._

‘Oy!! Sehun Oppa, get up!’  
Tao ‘s voice sounded low and deep right against his ear, his still damp hair tickling Sehun’s cheek.

_Well._   
_He’d been wrong._

Grinning furiously into the mattress, but keeping his face pressed in, hidden from Tao, he still feigned sleep

 

Tao wrapped his arms around him, cuddling him in that strong, firm, protective circle, sending bolts of happiness shooting through Sehun.

He planted a kiss at the top of his head, and squeezed him. 

‘C’mon Hunnie, we have to go to school… Get up now!’

He nuzzled Sehun’s neck, his skin smelling impossibly seductively of Sehun’s aftershave, his breath warm and minty

‘Hunnah, I made breakfast~~!’

 

Tao started tickling the side of his neck with his lips, and Sehun couldn’t suppress the hoot of laughter that burst out of him, then quickly curling into a ball in defence as Tao nuzzled him even more, rubbing his lips mischievously all over him, tickling him

‘Ta…Taozi,  _stooppp_!’ 

Sehun gasped out between howls of laughter, tears standing in his eyes

‘Are you awake?’

‘Yes..ye.. _yes I’m awake!! I’m awake, I’m awake, stop_!’

‘Hmmm~mmm….. you don’t look very awake to me…’

Teasingly, Tao tickled him even more, Sehun’s weakly pounding fists on his back totally ineffective as he climbed on him…

His lips that were just jokingly feathering, ticklingly, now turning to sexy little kisses laid over every bit of Sehun’s skin…

 

Sehun’s fingers splayed out on his back in response, his body arching under Tao as a pounding arousal spread through him…

 

Just as he started to slip his fingers into Tao’s shirt, he lifted away, climbing off the bed, leaving Sehun gasping in the sudden cold that hit him.

‘ _Taozi!!’_

Tao grinned down at him ‘ _Now_ you’re awake’

 

Sehun, blushing and spluttering, sat up and lunged for him, but that idiot’s stupid Wushu skills kicked in, and he just slid away, his reflexes superb.

‘My uniform will get crushed, plus we have to leave in like, half an hour…’

……………..

………..

‘ _I’ll get you for this!!!’_ Sehun leapt off the bed, to grab Tao, who burst out laughing, dodging around the bed.

For the next three whole minutes, Sehun chased him all around the small house, increasingly frustrated – Tao kept letting him get close enough for his fingertips to graze him before slipping away just as his grasping hand was about to close on him.

 

Finally, annoyed and feeling the tiniest little dart of rejection, Sehun climbed onto the bed, turning his back on Tao and crossing his arms.

‘Fine. Whatever. I don’t want you anyway.’

It took less than two seconds for those excitingly appealing arms to tighten around him, and those perfectly shaped lips, the bottom one full and swollen against the sharp edges of the top, to press against the back of his neck.

But Sehun just pulled away, determinedly.

 

‘Sehunnie!!! C’mon, I was just kidding!!!’

 

‘Hmph. Why don’t you just leave me alone, you’re going to be late for school.’

 

‘ _Hun-ah!!_ As if I’d care about  _school_ when you’re angry with me!!!’ Tao’s horrified tones had a whole mountain of satisfaction swelling in Sehun, obliterating all those tiny pinpricks of misgivings  
 _When perfect model student Huang Zitao with his perfect attendance acts like it’s the most natural thing to miss school for you, and even imagining otherwise is utterly crazy, you just_ know…

Sehun giggled, giving in, as Tao kissed a straight line over his back, tracing his spine. Turning around, he locked his arms around Tao’s neck, pulling him in, claiming his mouth with his own  
As they kissed, battling tongues, Sehun slid his palms over Tao’s fully clothed body…  
Over his firm chest, and stomach, pressing in to trace the outlines of his abs..  
Then slipping over his sides to his thighs, lightly stroking over their hard muscled planes..  
Teasingly, he moved his hands over the tops of his legs, being careful to avoid actually touching the straining bulge that was now tugging his pants, till Tao helplessly thrust his hips, moaning into his mouth

Grinning through their kisses, Sehun obliged, his fingers fumbling in their haste as the need and desire filled him too, he unbuckled Tao’s belt, quickly unbuttoning his pants and wrenching the zipper down, freeing Tao’s swollen and distended cock, which jut out proudly from amidst it’s tuft of hair..  
Breaking free, Sehun slid his own pants down to his knees, frantically fisting his own glutted erection, and lying back, looking at Tao with hazily gleaming eyes.  
‘Taozi –  _hurry!_ ’

Tao leant over him, reaching to kiss him again, while placing his strong, powerful hands on the undersurface of Sehun’s thighs, pushing them up, over his head.. exposing Sehun’s naked and grasping anus for a second..  
Before slamming into it.

The pain swamping him had him screaming incoherently, but Tao kept thrusting in, over and over..  
Deeper and deeper..  
Sehun’s legs weakly shuddering with each thrust, his hands scrabbling against Tao’s back, but unable to get any purchase on the smooth surface of his blazer….  
The pleasure hitting him like a tidal wave with each slamming plunge washed through his body and his mind flooding away all other thought or feeling  
He was just entirely a tangled mass of burning nerves, all pulsing and pounding with this overwhelming ecstasy  
He knew he was screaming, but he couldn’t even know what he was saying, leave alone stop…

Tao pulled out just before he could come, holding him away, before either of them could spill over his uniform

Pulling his trousers to, buckling his belt, and straightening his blazer, Tao hauled Sehun out of bed, telling him firmly to ‘go have a shower  _right away_ , hurry before we’re late’, but betraying his own advice by grabbing Sehun just as he was about to, and kissing him thoroughly, so passionately, Sehun was left gasping and shocked, feeling strangely like he’d start crying….

 

 

By the time Sehun came out of the shower, towelling his hair, and dressed in his uniform, Tao had packed his uneaten breakfast in a box, and placed it carefully in his backpack, along with what looked like a bazillion note books, dumped the bedsheets in the wash and was tidying up the room.

 

‘ _Taozi!!_ ’

Tao looked up at Sehun’s complaining whine, frowning.  
‘You can’t spend all day on an empty stomach, till lunch! You can have that during the morning break…’  
‘ _It’s not that!_ ’  
‘Huh?’  
Before he could stop himself, the words were spilling out, realising he was speaking out loud only after the sounds had already escaped his lips.  
‘ _The sheets!!! They smelt of you, and I wasn’t planning on washing them, ever, and now they won’t anymore!!!!’_

 

For a second there was silence, and then Tao burst out laughing, his hand rising to cover his face as a brilliant crimson spread over his cheeks.

 

‘He..here’

Still shaking with laughter, he held out a beanie. ‘At least wear this, your hair..’  
Sehun grabbed it, and pulled it over his hair (but rebelliously picking out his fringe, carefully showing off the dazzling hues) in high dudgeon, embarrassed and defensive all at once.  
Tao swung his messenger bag around his side, then picked up Sehun’s backpack, holding it for him while he pushed his arms through, and they walked out, Tao flicking off the lights.  
Still mentally kicking himself, Sehun grabbed his keys, and reached for the door knob…

When he was pulled back, Tao slamming him against his chest, and biting his ear lobe from the back, before reaching in front of him, to slip his hand into Sehun’s , and gently lifting it to his lips

‘I think very soon, getting  _rid_ of my smell from your sheets is gonna be the problem’

Throwing this back at him with a cheesy grin, he pushed past Sehun, and headed down the road.

Hurriedly Sehun slammed the door shut and locked it, then jogged to catch up to Tao. Slowing down when he was just behind him, he walked shyly, a rosy smile tugging at his lips, that he tried unsuccessfully to suppress, all the time keeping his eyes fixed on the ground, and the backs of Tao’s shoes.

A thousand thoughts were swirling in his head.  
Somehow, the bright sparkles of sunlight glinting almost painfully off the pristine white snow that was neatly lined against the roadside, seemed to question him..  
Making it actually hit him…  
Just in the space of one evening, his world had shifted so radically on its axis..  
Even the snowflakes seemed altogether new and unexplored.

 

As he walked, he carefully placed his boots in Tao’s footprints… They were so wonderfully deep and strong, so unhesitant, so confident and proud…  
Their outlines stood bigger than his all around too…  
 _Ah, really, Tao-ya was so strong and manly.._  
It made Sehun feel incredibly cared for and protected  
 _It made him feel so thoroughly safe_

 

‘Ooff!’  
He’d been concentrating so hard on stepping precisely in the middle of Tao’s footprints, he hadn’t even realised he’d stopped, walking right into that broad, unyieldingly muscular back with a thump  
‘ _Sehun!!’_  Tao grabbed the back of his collar, pulling him back just as he almost stumbled forward, where the snow plow was making its slow stately way down the road. ‘ _Honestly…’_

For the rest of the way, Tao kept a firm grip on Sehun’s hand, pulling him close to his side.  
The spark of warmth from their clasped hands overpowering even the glacid chill swirling around them, they walked together, side by side, so close they were brushing against each other, all the way to school, Sehun prattling on happily about one thing or another, and Tao laughing and teasing him, his heart swelled, blissful and content…

 

As they reached the road just outside the school, though, and the heavily bundled up figures of their school mates started appearing out of the cold, Tao let go of his hand, and strode ahead, walking faster, without a backward glance.

 

Sehun  _knew_ …  
He understood, he really did…  
But that didn’t stop the stab of pain that abruptly shot through him.

For a moment, he just looked down at his suddenly empty hand..  
The cold seemed to seep right into his fingers, cutting through his flesh..  
Suddenly…

He shook his head at himself – honestly, how could he get so greedy so quickly!

Yet that ache stayed, coldly spiralling in..

 

‘Se-HUN!’  
Lu Han barrelled into him, glomping him from the back in greeting–  
Before Xiumin, appearing out of nowhere, with a ' _what the hell??!!'_  ripped off his beanie.

Immediately, the usual crowd was around him, every one exclaiming loudly, laughing and tugging each other to ‘look’   
‘Sehun!!!Are you crazy??!!’  
‘Noo I think it looks really good!!’  
‘Waa only Sehun!!’  
‘Sehun!! You are gonna get in soo much trouble!!!’  
 _‘omg I want to do that too!!’_  
‘Shut up Chan Ye!!! You’d look really nuts!’  
‘…Hehe, probably ne~~’  
 _‘_ Totally. Like a mutated beanpole.’  
‘Oyyyy!!! Whyyyy!! What does my height have to do with it?!!!’

The laughing Bo Xian was quickly pushed out of the way by the excited girls.

‘Suki, come here!! Look see!!’  
‘wow…’  
‘Hey, is this why you didn’t come yesterday??!!’  
‘Se-xiong are you actually going to class like that??!!’  
‘Yixing laoshi is going to kill you!!’

_‘Forget Yixing Laoshi, wait till Zitao Duizhang gets a sight of this!’_

At Chan Ye’s last comment, Sehun snapped around, over sensitive at this point to even the most innocuous comments regarding Tao. Realising everyone was looking at him, though, he just forced a  laugh, and waved it off, grabbing the beanie back from Xiumin, and sticking his tongue out at him (a cutely saucy action that had ‘Oooh’s’ and ‘Aaaah’s’ bursting from the crowd) pulled it down over his hair again. Slipping his arm through Lu Han’s, he tugged him towards the corridor, and everyone followed, predicting the horrible fate awaiting him, when ‘Zitao-jun got an eyeful of this’.

Sehun’s eyes were already fixed on the boy in question.. as they passed the windows to their classroom, he could see Tao was already at his desk, smiling at the girl standing next to him, who was talking animatedly..  
 _Who the hell did she even think she was.. what’s her name, Mai or whatever..Honestly, it was SO annoying the way she kept sticking to Tao…_

‘Sehun!!’

Quickly, he snapped out of his trance, turning to Lu Han. Luckily, they’d all misinterpreted his staring…  
‘Ooohh, you’re scared now aren’t you!’  
‘ _AM NOT!’_ he himself was shocked at how normal his voice sounded.

Grinning, he squeezed his arm around Lu Han’s neck, attempting a chokehold, while Lu Han screamed theatrically, calling to Xiumin to ‘save’ him…  
Xiumin only flashed a ‘V’ at Sehun, and playfully punched Lu Han’s shoulder, before walking into the class, totally unconcerned about the whines following him

Still playing around, Sehun casually pulled Lu Han inside too, surrounded by the rest of the class, everyone shifting their glances back and forth from Sehun to Tao in the front row, waiting for him to explode over the tufts of riotously brilliant colours peeping from Sehun’s beanie. Out of the corner of his eye, Sehun risked a glance at Tao too…  
 _God, he was so handsome, with those big black framed glasses.. so perfect and pristine,  like something untouchable and unreachable…_

As their gazes caught, just out of the corner of their eyes –

 

Tao stuck out a little flick of tongue at him

 

Not so anyone else would notice -

 

But sufficient to make Sehun gasp audibly in shock and amazement, before choking as he fought to suppress the hoot of laughter threatening to burst out of him

 

_It was so unexpected, and somehow…_   
_well, in hindsight, it was something his Taotao would do, but in that moment, seeing him sitting there all perfectly conscientious and in total Class-Rep, model-student mode, even Sehun had bought into that whole image, forgetting for a moment the boy who had pouted so cutely up at him, complaining that putting pineapple jam in pasta hadn’t worked…_

Ohhh yikes.  
Now he couldn’t stop, the memory wreaking havoc with his determination to keep a straight face

In desperation, he headbutted Lu Han, taking the opportunity to hide his face in his shoulder. Lu Han laughed uproariously, assuming it was his hair he wanted to hide, and pulled him off, forcing him around to face Tao dead on.  
‘Good morning, Zitao-jun!’  
Lu Han greeted him cheerily, his hand on the back of Sehun’s neck preventing him from turning away, waiting, eagerly anticipating the explosion he saw coming…

Only nothing happened.

To the shock of the entire class, Huang Zitao, the very same Zitao-jun who had once reduced the 90kg hulking rugby playing Wei to tears once for coming to school with a fake tattoo over his cheek, the very same Zitao–san who had sent any number of girls into the deepest depression by taking them to task for their make-up ---  _that_  very same Zitao-jun only smiled politely and indifferently at both the boys, nodding a ‘Good Morning’ that seemed to be completely blind to the flamboyant orange clashing with the splash of parrot green that was edging out from Sehun’s beanie, before turning back to explaining something to Mai, his pencil making efficient little diagrams in his open notebook.

For a long moment, it was like the entire class froze.

 

Then Chan Ye, unable to stand it any longer, burst out. ‘Duizhang! What about his  _hair??!!!_ ’

 

Tao looked quizzically at him, then following his long gesturing hand, as Xiumin helpfully pulled off the beanie again, he turned his attention to Sehun’s hair, his expression curious, looking for all the world like he’d never seen it before.

 

For a long moment, he just stared at it, his darkly smudged eyes secretly tracing over Sehun’s face, leaving a bright red in their trail, as Sehun fisted his hands at his sides, willing himself not to laugh,  
 _no, no matter what, dont think about anything!!_  
 _Blank mind, he was just pure Zen…_  
 _No, nononono, DO NOT think about those sexy fingers washing the dye off in just.._ totally  _the most seductive spirals that were soo pleasurable, that he could feel right from his scalp to his toes…._

 

Sure now that he was as red as a traffic light, Sehun nervously licked his lower lip, before tugging it between his teeth –  
 _Oookay, bad move!!!_  
 Tao’s eyes had been pulled to his movement,  
 _Dammit, even though he’d used the very same move any number of times himself to get under Tao’s skin, he’d forgotten how effective it was!_  
and this close, Sehun could clearly make out his eyes widening, pupils dilating in response…  
Sending a corresponding flare through him..

 

Tao, blushing lightly now, yet sounding uber blasé about the whole thing just turned a casual glance at Chan Ye – ‘Hmm..it’s okay.... though pink is totally his colour, I’d definitely like more blue on there, though…’

Punctuating his sentence with a click of his pencil, and nonchalantly turning back to his work.

 

In the following astounded silence, all Sehun could think about was how  _incredibly.._ how completely awesome it felt..  
More than anyone else  _he_  knew how much Tao cared about being the perfect Class Rep and leader, going to any lengths, stifling himself to the point of suffocation, to be the person people expected of him..  
But for him _,_ for Sehun, _that_ same Zitao had just turned aside sharply from those expectations, refusing to set himself against him, even at the risk of endangering his reputation as a fair and conscientious monitor… 

He knew he should be feeling guilty at having created this situation, but he was entirely too filled with pride.. 

And happiness.

Somehow..  
It felt sooo…  
 _Possessive_  
It was all like he somehow…

 _wait, he was totally overthinking it, wasn’t he??!!_  
 _Tao just said that, he didn’t mean_ anything  _by it, leave alone…_

 _By openly being so indulgent of him…  
_ And saying he wanted more of his favourite color on him...  
Like he…publically…Wanted to  _mark_ Sehun as  _his_  in any way….

 

Even telling himself firmly to get his head out of the clouds wasn’t enough to dispel the cotton candy fluffy wisps of glee floating around inside him. Vaguely he was aware of everyone around him spazzing at the utterly earth shatteringly, surprising response (or to be more precise, the lack thereof).. the looks of pure awe people were flashing him – he’d managed the unimaginable after all, defying all expectation and all logic he’d actually managed to get around Zitao-jun! – but Sehun’s insides were churning too much for him to pay attention..

The feeling of abandonment that had been threatening him ever since Tao let go of his hand, disappeared without a trace now, and in its place was the most delicious sense of giddiness.

 

Because it..

_It was their secret._

 

A special, amazing, wondrous secret that only the two of them knew about…

 

Sehun almost giggled out loud – the bubbles popping inside his chest making him feel drunk on happiness.

 

All these people..  
All these people who crowded around him, shocked and surprised at Tao’s ‘behaviour’..  
 _They didn’t have a CLUE!!!!!_

_They, none of them knew…  
_ _They didn’t know how delicious it was to fall asleep in that Tao’s arms,_   
_They didn’t know how loved it made you feel when you curled up in his lap and he kept feeding you from his chopsticks, after complaining loudly that you were stealing his food…_

_They didn’t know what Tao looked like when he was acting cute,_  
 _They didn’t know how kind and gentle he was,_  
 _They didn’t understand how strong his hands felt, how protective, when he held you close_  
They didn’t know the only person Tao held like that was  _him_

 _They didn’t know how mature and at the same time, how innocently childlike he could get.._  
They didn’t know that he only showed those sides of himself to him

He could say whatever he wanted to him, he could do whatever he felt like with him, hell, he could literally jump him if he wanted to, whenever he wanted to…

They’d so many things happen between them…  
Already they had so many memories – and they’d have so many more!!  
Memories of just the two of them.

They didn’t know that Tao belonged to  _him_  
And he belonged to Tao

 

Luckily, for the sake of that secret being preserved as a secret, Yixing laoshi walked down the corridor at that moment, and everyone hurried into their seats ( _lucky_ because in his excitement and happiness, Sehun almost grabbed Tao to land a kiss on him right then and there…  
And Tao, despite his poker face, just as equally lost in their little world, wouldn’t have stopped him…)

Sehun made his way to his seat, almost skipping, and swinging his backpack over the arm of his chair, settling himself as usual just so – just perfectly so he had a clear, uninterrupted view of Tao’s back.

The class was an airy, bright room, the walls a buttercup yellow. Sehun’s place was right next to the window that looked out onto the courtyard, the vista expansive and beautiful right over the low lying neighbourhood around the school, all the way to the sparkling ocean…

The town, though covered in white marshmallows of snow, was busy and bustling already – people probably making up for the early closing of businesses yesterday…

The roads already filled with traffic, the pavements being hurriedly swept and salted…

 

To his right was Lu Han, leaning to  _his_ right to whisper something to Xiumin, earning himself a stern look from Yixing laoshi…  
In front of Lu Han, Bo Xian was studiously ignoring Suki, who was obviously eyeing him from her seat directly in front of Sehun, twirling her hair around a pencil..  
Chan Ye, to Bo Xian’s right, desperately burying his face in a book he was holding upside down, trying to hide his snorts of laughter  
Mai, who was sitting in front of him, turning to glare primly at him

 

 _And in front of_   _her.._

Tao. 

 

Sehun grinned at the back of his neck, imagining he could hear the thoughts in his mind, holding a pretend conversation with him in his imagination, on and off all through the morning.

 

Yixing Laoshi’s language lesson, was followed by Chen Laoshi taking Algebra, before the bell rang twice – signalling the 15 min break before the next period.

While the others gathered around Lu Han’s desk, teasing him (he’d finally gotten it from Yixing Laoshi at the end of first period – ‘I’ll be grading you on this, so make sure you turn it in by the end of the week,  _no exceptions_   _or excuses,_ so you might want to pay attention now, when I explain how to solve it. Though of course, if some of you feel that staring at Xiumin is going to help you figure out how, please, go ahead by all means’)

It didn’t take a genius to figure out he’d meant Lu Han, and even now, everyone ribbed him with comments about how in love he was.

Sehun just chuckled – to be honest, he didn’t have a clue how those two actually felt about each other… they might like each other..

They might just be really good friends, after all, Sehun didn’t have anyone he’d been friends with since kindergarten, so he didn’t know how ‘childhood buddies’ interacted…

Or it could even be that it had just become a habit for Lu Han, with no meaning behind it whatsoever..

 

He glanced over at Xiumin who was laughing along with the teasing like it had nothing to do with him, and was entirely just Lu Han’s problem…

As Sehun watched curiously, he tossed his hair, and for a split second, their eyes met. At that moment, when he looked right at Sehun for an instance, Sehun thought he saw something deeper in those beautiful big eyes.. something darker, something… more…

 

_Painful???_

But the next second it was gone, and he flashed a cute grin at Sehun, puffing out his cheeks, before turning back to where Wei was saying that Lu Han’s favourite food was  _baozi_.

 

_He must’ve imagined it_

Oh well. Personally, he felt they were made for each other, but he had his own Prince Charming to worry about.

 

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out the box, and clicked open the lid. Immediately, the wonderfully scrumptious smells of the bacon and toast (which had somehow stayed warm!!) wafted around him.

Tao had packed it in little sandwiches, and grinning broadly, Sehun lifted one to his lips –

 

right before it was snatched away from his hand

 

‘Wwaaaaa!! This is so good!!’

‘ _NO, STOP, DON’T EAT IT!!’_

 _‘_ aaahh, Sehun has food? What is it?’

‘Sandwiches! With really yummy bacon and its all spicy and..’

‘ _STOP, all of you, GO AWAY!!’_

 _‘_ Se-xiong~~~ Don’t be so selfish!’

‘Hey, pass some here!’

In annoyance, Sehun snatched the box away, curling up around it, and peering out angrily at all of them, his expression Scrooge-like.

‘It’s my breakfast, I didn’t eat any, so leave it alone!’

 

Turning away from them, his expression doing a 180 in anticipation, he finally managed to get one of the sandwiches past his lips

_omg this WAS really good_

there was some sort of seasoning..he couldn’t identify it.. but it was  _so_ delicious..

not to mention..

_Tao had made it especially for him, even packing it in a box .._

‘ UGH!! Just look at him blushing!!’

Lu Han’s teasing tones cut through his reverie, sparking the attention of the crowd (and conveniently turning it away from himself)

 

‘Sehun!! Who made that for you?!!!’

‘ _Aisai bento??!!’_

 _‘_ Huh?? What the hell is that…’

‘Lol, Fang, you are sooo out of it – don’t you even watch TV!’

‘ _Huhhh_??!! Yeah I do, just not your stupid Japanese drama or whatever!!’

‘It’s the loving lunch that a girl makes carefully, by herself, and packs-‘

‘with love!’

‘Yeah,  _with love_ for the guy she likes’

‘Actually, wives make it  _with love_  for their husbands to take to work…’

‘Whatever, the point is, it’s a totally couple-y thing to do’

‘ _wow, girls are so weird…’_

‘Ha! Says the guy who could never get one in a million years!!’

‘Yeah, its soo romantic!!’

‘Yeah!! Making food for the guy you like with your own hands..’

‘..and packing it carefully and lovingly in a pretty little box…’

‘..so that when he’s tired and hungry in the middle of the day..’

‘..he can open it, and eat it happily.. thanks to you..’

 

The group of girls heaved a collective sigh, stars in their eyes..

_The group of girls plus Chan Ye, that is._

 

As Bo Xian almost rolled on the floor laughing at him, with his clasped hands and soulful expression, though, he snapped out of it, and turned pragmatic -

‘shut up dude!! Well, anyway, who the hell does that for breakfast??’

 

‘Hmm…maybe if you spent the night over or something…’

Bo Xian taped his chin as he tried to look innocent, though his mischievous grin gave him away, as pretty much every girl in the class took the bait, hook, line and sinker, and quickly a veritable furore evolved –

‘NO!!No WAY’

‘Sehun… has a girlfriend..??’

‘ _no_ … _it can't be...._.’

‘I TOLD you so, theres no  _way_ someone like Se-xiong would be single, right??’

‘ _Shuttup shuttup just shuttup!!Don't even say something like that!! He_  can't!!’

 _‘_ He doesn't!!! I asked him directly, and he said he wasn’t with anyone!!!’

 'He could've just been  _sayin_ that...'

 

Sehun just ignored the ensuing uproar, too busy deliciously savouring each bite of the sandwiches.

_Aisai Bento, huh_

Lin’s words echoed exquisitely in his head..

Unable to resist, he risked a glance to the front of the class..

To Tao…

 

Who was frowning at him

_Huh??!!_

_Why…..??_

Like he’d heard his thoughts, Tao jerked his head, indicating the gaggle of people around him, whom Sehun had hardly being paying attention to. Focusing, he looked around - 

_Whoa!_

_What the hell…_

They were all arguing and yelling, some of the girls looking like they were going to burst into tears..

_Waitaminute was this coz…_

Thankfully, right then, Lu Han came to the rescue, finishing the sandwich (he had  _stolen_ ), and licking his lips, saying – ‘Waa! This is really good! Tell your mom from me, okay!’

Quickly grasping at the out, Sehun beamed at him, his expression signalling relief and gratitude

‘Yup! I’ll tell her!’

 

Just like that, the crowd fell away, expressing their disgust and annoyance with each other, a few sharp words floating behind them as they grudgingly made their way back to their places…

[except for Bo Xian, who leaned in to wink at Sehun – ‘Lucky save there, Parrot boy’, making Sehun stick out his tongue at him, and make faces, as he laughed his way away]

 

Sehun turned to whisper a ‘thank you!’ to Lu Han, who grinned and nodded at him, and Sehun reached over to squeeze his shoulder with one hand, filled with the affection he felt for his awesome best friend – Gawd, he was soo adorable and cute and sweet!! Now Taotao wouldn’t be angry with him anymore!!

 

Grinning, he swivelled in his chair to flash a smug smile at Tao – the problem was  _Taken Care Of_  –

 

Only to be met with a scowl as black as thunder.

 

As Sehun gaped at him, Tao just glared harder, his expression unreadable except for anger, and spun around, getting to his feet to call the class to ‘bow’ as D.O Laoshi walked into the class, carrying a couple of large charts under one arm.

His movements brisk as always, Laoshi told them to sit, and beckoned Chan Ye up front, handing him the charts. Quickly, the tall boy unrolled them, and hung them up on a hook above the black board, revealing diagrams showing a timeline, before hurrying back to his seat with relief at having gotten through the task without being hit – Laoshi’s standard response to any fumbling, which annoyed him no end, and which was something Chan Ye was highly susceptible to, when put on the spot.

 

As Chan Ye sat down, Laoshi pulled out a pointer, and glanced around the classroom, his stern face and cold eyes instantly hushing all the tiny whispers and slight scrapings of chairs. Satisfied, he told them to take out their Foreign history texts, and began his lecture.

 

 

As the class progressed, however, Sehun could only stare in dismay at Tao’s back.

 

_He’d taken care of it, there wouldn’t be a problem anymore.._

_Why was Tao still angry with him??!!_

Silently, he willed Tao to turn around, to glance back, to do  _something_ that would indicate in some way what was going on..

But of course, there was nothing.

 

Clenching his fists under his desk, he looked down to glare unseeingly at the open page in front of him.

_What in the world had he done anyway, all he’d done was take out the food to eat it.._

_Tao_ was the one who’d packed it for him in the first place, even telling him to eat it during the break, and he’d only been doing what  _he’d_ told him to do, so, guess what, if it was anybody’s fault, it was  _his!_

 

Hmph!!

Sehun tossed his head, turning away.

_He didn’t care one bit._

 

_Really he didn’t._

 

The next instant, a stinging pain shot through the back of his neck, as D.O Laoshi hit him with the side of his hand.

 

‘What do you think you are doing??!! Pay attention in my class!!’

 

Springing up to his feet, Sehun hurriedly bowed multiple times in apology, all other thoughts vanishing in his momentary panic.

_Crap, he’d been so lost in thought, he hadn’t even realised Laoshi was walking around the class_

D.O Laoshi only grunted, glaring icily at the strands of orange that were flopping lightly over his forehead as he bowed…

As Sehun held his breath, waiting for the firestorm, though, nothing happened. Laoshi only motioned him to sit down, and continued down the row, his voice perfectly modulated as usual, as he talked about the industrial revolution and its impacts..

 

Heaving a sigh of relief, Sehun sat down, catching Lu Han’s eye as he stared at him in sheer astonishment –  _not just Zitao-jun, but now D.O Laoshi had also, incredibly, let his hair slide -_ grinning, he just winked at him, feeling suddenly smug...

 

The rest of the morning passed slowly, though, with a double Language class, as Yixing Laoshi was back to take a class on auxillary verbs and cleft sentences. It seemed like forever till the bell rang long and loud at 1:00 pm, signalling the lunch break..

Almost immediately, everyone was around his table again, discussing in excited voices how Sehun was so lucky, how was it even possible, how could he have gotten away with this!!

Sehun only grinned at them -  _to be honest, while he could explain Tao’s reaction, he had no idea why Laoshi would’ve done that.._

 

‘C’mon, I’m hungry!!’ Xiumin finally said, getting fed up with all the chatter, that was cutting into their lunch-time.

Lu Han turned to Sehun, laughing – ‘Yeah, c’mon, or Xiumin will explode, its Hot pot today!’

Sehun laughed too, as Xiumin tugged at both of them, trying to hurry them up (Xiumin’s love for the cafeteria hot pot was legendary), grabbing their scarves and mufflers, and stuffing it into their hands (to get to the cafeteria, they would have to cross the courtyard, and even that short interval in the open air would be painfully chilly) ‘C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!!’

‘Yeah, yeah, lets go~’

 

Slipping one arm through Lu Han’s, as he started telling him about a soccer game he’d seen on TV last night, Sehun glanced up – and froze.

 

Just as he’d looked up, Tao had been stepping towards him, his mouth opening to say something – but as their eyes met, he snapped it closed, and spinning on one heel, walked out of the classroom.

 

He didn’t even think about what he was doing, it was like he was on autopilot, as he turned to Lu Han and Xiumin, a very real-looking grin on his face as he said ‘you guys go ahead, I’ll just go to the washroom first’ , then walked leisurely out of the class and down the corridor –

Before bursting into a run.

 

The panic that gripped him was ridiculously frightening.

 

He didn’t even know what was happening, or why Tao was so mad at him..

He couldn’t even think about it, really, he couldn’t even try and figure anything out, all he knew was that he had to fix it, somehow..

 

Whatever it was.

 

 

Just as he passed the Chem. Lab, he saw Tao, disappearing down the staircase that led down the back of the building to the greenhouses

‘ _Tao!!’_

Assured at the back of his mind that no one came this way, he risked yelling, and Tao stopped, turning to look up at him –

Then nonchalantly looked away and continued walking down the stairs, his hands in his pockets.

 

……………….

…..

‘ _Taozi!!!!’_

Feeling like his head was spinning, Sehun rushed blindly to the stairs, and down them, his heart pounding…

 

The next instance, his foot was slipping on a wet patch that had formed on the tiles, the air rushing out of his lungs, and his stomach flipping as his body lurched forward. Desperately, he grasped at the rail, but his fingers only closed on empty space, and he was falling....

With a jolt that reverberated through his bones, he felt his body crash into one step, then lift into the air. For a fraction of a moment, there was no sensation, no thought, nothing - before he hurtled down once more. This time, the pain hit,horribly, blindingly,  as he felt, more than heard, the sickening thud of his head colliding heavily with the edge of the stair...  
vibrating through his entire body...  
for a mercifully short second, before everything faded to black.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

_okay, i think it's about time i went into this, because i know some aspects of this story might get a little confusing (especially if you are not Asian, and not used to the schooling system here.._

_or even if you are, but the Chinese version still has you scratching your head, like it did me ^^)_

### Note on the Chinese education system (and Tao’s early years) (and how it pertains to this story) –

In China, you have to go through 9 years of compulsory education, from grade 1 through 9, which consists of Primary school (grades 1 – 6) and Junior Middle School (grades 7, 8 and 9); starting at age 6 or 7, and finishing at the age of 15.  [Tao went to Humen Centre Primary School (one of the most prestigious in Qingdao) and Qingdao Middle School respectively]

  
 <https://38.media.tumblr.com/af8e01aacab378a8a73d92702afc3e0f/tumblr_n9hmyfGHLm1sm27s5o4_250.jpg> 

<https://38.media.tumblr.com/0cb342e02cab05d7b6ef30b17fc56f83/tumblr_n9hmyfGHLm1sm27s5o5_250.jpg>

<https://31.media.tumblr.com/03d440f478820afd0534b6c07108f052/tumblr_n9hmyfGHLm1sm27s5o3_250.jpg>

 After this, you can, if you want, enter Secondary School, or High School, which consists of Grades 10, 11 and 12. Once you finish, you are eligible to appear for the entrance exams to various Universities, etc.

 

As I’m sure everyone must know, the Chinese entrance exams are really really tough, primarily because of the huuuge difference between the number of seats, and the number of people applying for them, and as a result, the competition is  _intense_. Hence, most of Secondary School, esp the third year, or grade 12, is devoted to preparing for these exams., and it is pure hell. Classes actually go on till late at night, [not official classes, but ‘tuitions’ or coaching classes] the instruction is really strict, the amount you have to study is ridiculous, the absolute max you get to sleep is like, 5 hrs, and its like pretty much every waking moment is spent studying..

However, to get a good job, you have to get into a good Uni, and for that sake, everyone struggles through it.  [plus, once you  _do_ get into Uni, things get a whole lot lighter and relaxed, so you just brace yourself to sweat blood for 3 yrs]..

 

but if you happen to be lucky enough to have any choice, you really wouldn’t put yourself through this, so pretty much anyone who knows that what they want to do is a job that doesn't require a Uni degree, usually opts out of it.

 

For the sake of this story, however,  I put Tao through High School, which he would have entered around 2009 (when he was 16, which is when this story is set) (well, kinda, coz I set it with him being  _almost_  17, and already in Grade 11) and completed somewhere around 2011.

Which is to say, i have no solid proof whether he actually did go through secondary school or not, but i'm reasonably sure he didn't because, a.) i've never found any reference to any high school, though all bios mention both primary and middle schools,

and b.) from what we DO know he was doing from the time he was 16 (i.e, from 2009) i don't really think he could have managed high school on the side, esp considering China's high school system..

i only bring this up, coz from him personally i've only come across 'people who don't go to college also have a future' (weibo,nov, 2010) [and it says college not high school.....]So i cant say with 100% surity

In reality, in 2009, he was already working towards becoming a singer, during which time he started supporting himself, (he was only 16, and already decided not to depend on anyone >//<) doing various part time jobs, and earning his own money (working handing out flyers, his stint as a waiter in December ’09, etc). By 2010, he was desperately trying to form a band, under the name 'Edison Huang'...going to Hong Kong in early 2010 (January) and Taipei in April, learning singing with all his might.. from his weibo at the time, we know he was recording songs, which he wrote and composed himself. (coincidentally, his second composition, May 2010, was a criticism of schools, lol) 

Finally, later that year, he participated at the SM global Auditions,and the rest is history ^^,

 

 So the entire premise of this story, the whole high school thing, is fictional, BUT..

 I really didn’t want to write about his studying 24/7 like he kinda would’ve had to, I wanted to let him have fun, ya know?? 

 

On the other hand, this period, 2009-10 was far from easy for him, not only did he fall really sick a few times, (even having to stop practicing Wushu for a while) but he was also under a lot of stress… his updates from that time don’t make for easy reading, do they.. :’(

 it was really a time of struggle and at those moments, he turned introspective…

(weibo update in Sep, 09  -- ‘ _I’m not sure of myself, I have nothing,I try to escape reality,I’m self-enclosed,refuse to associate with others,and do whatever I like_ ’.

another translation of same post that i've seen goes -- ‘ _Always at a loss, always alone, always escaping reality, always shutting myself out, always brushing people off, always doing whatever I want’_ )

(and remember in Nov, threatening to turn hikikomori for 4 months, >//< thank god he didn’t)

 

There are quite a few posts like this, right..

And I really did not want to ignore this aspect of his life. This is why, in my characterisation of Tao, he appears kinda moody, and introspective.. this is not a side of himself we get to really see now, right, and

I just really wanted to delve into this side of him.  

 Not to mention, this is a period we know so very little about, its quite fascinating, right ^^< even the weibo posts that have been preserved from this time are really really few

 

But even then, he had the same strength we admire so much in him now - every time, he’d turn himself around, saying things like, ‘tomorrow will be better’ or ‘life that doesn’t sail smoothly is the real life, life in which one is fighting against the harsh winds and waves is the most glorious life, no matter how the ending is.”

Not to mention, all those posts that showed us his confidence, eg ‘nothing in the world is impossible to me’ (which he’s been sayin since Jan 2010, lol, as far as I know, maybe even earlier, hehe)!! :)

 

Anyway, getting back to the education system that I’m supposed to be explaining,

 

Since 2004, China switched over to a credit based system, which required you, in Secondary School, to obtain a minimum of 116 credits in the compulsory subjects ( Chinese, Math, Ideology and Politics, Science, Technology, Arts, PE, and Comprehensive Practice), a minimum of 22 credits in the National Elective Curriculum ( Foreign Language, History, Geography, Community Service, Social Practice) and a minimum of 6 credits in  School Elective Curriculum, to make a total of at least 144 (out of the maximum possible 180). So the no. of periods per week are divided acc, which is why they seem to have a bazillion Math and Language classes (its really like that irl)

 

Another thing that might be confusing is – in Asian schools, you stay in one room all day, and as the periods change, the teachers come and go. Of course, this doesn’t apply to PE, or science labs, etc… but you get it

 

Another thing is, in Chinese schools, well, in most Asian schools tbh, discipline IS a big issue. While they may overlook say, dark brown hair colour, or other ‘natural’ tones (and note, I said  _‘may_ ’), anything like blonde would kick up  _quite_ a fuss..// I mean,  _seriously a LOT of fuss//_

So the rainbow thing, well… you can just imagine

In fact, in my story I’ve actually underplayed this aspect of it a lot

(or I’d have had them lining up for uniform checks and had people getting seriously chewed out coz their nails were too long, etc)

 

and

Two things I’m completely disregarding that happen irl –

1.] Boy-Girl thing – lol, sometimes you can even get into real trouble for standing ‘too close’ while talking; my characters are quite friendly despite their genders, whereas in most Chinese schools, maintaining a distance is wise

2.] Morning exercise assemblies. -.- 

 

 

_ps--_ _hope you guys like this chapter, i have NO IDEA WHATSOEVER why it turned into Sehun's point of view >//< like, literally, NONE. _


	9. Chapter Nine

What happened..

 

 

It was like he was in some dark, endless space..

 

Awareness tugged at him, sending burning little fingertips worming right into his brain

 

_It hurt_

It hurt _so bad.._

Dull, pounding ache..

                                           yet so sharp…

_Make it stop…_

 

_Someone…_

 

 

Then the darkness pulled him back again

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sehun finally blinked awake, wincing slightly - even the soft sunlight streaming in over his bed hurt. Grunting, he rubbed his eyes open properly, registering the headache that had settled into a rhythmically pounding throb.

 

The next instant, he sat up so quickly, the room swam before his eyes –  _Tao!  
_ _He had to_  -

 

It was only then that Sehun noticed the dark head buried in the foot of his bed, pillowed on those wonderfully tan arms

 

Strangely feeling like he was catapulted into a dream, he just stared, breathless, at the fine dark hairs that glinted in the golden light, tracing the planes of those strong, taut muscles

 

As he watched, though, those broad shoulders shook..

And a muffled sob echoed through the room

 

Sehun hesitantly, slowly…

raised one hand, to reach over and settle on the soft, silky head.

 

Immediately, Tao sprang up, gasping.

 

_Oh!!_

 There were tears streaming down his face, his eyes already red and swollen, like he’d been crying for a while..

Sobs wrenching painfully out of him, even as he gasped out the sounds like his life depended on it

‘Se..Se..Hun? Sehun?’

 

For a moment longer, Sehun sat frozen..

 

_he could feel the blood running through the vessels in his head.._

Strangely distanced from him, he saw the expressions flash across Tao’s face..

Something..

Complex..

 

Then everything buried under an overwhelming cast of relief, Tao hurtled into Sehun, clutching him into his chest

 

‘ _Sehun, omg, Sehun-sshi, you’re okay? Are you alright? You’re alright, right??!!!’_

He knew Tao was being deadly serious..

But somehow, it felt like he was unable to hold onto his own thoughts..

Everything felt blurred

He couldn’t react, even though he could clearly see the absolute worry and concern still colouring Tao – so sharp and severe, it was an extent he could never have imagined seeing on anybody’s face, about any thing at all..

But he couldn’t act on it

 

Only one part of his mind felt clear – the corner that kept whispering quietly, in awe,

‘ _So this was what it felt like to have someone care about you that much_..’

Tao pulled him away, looking carefully at him, his eyes boring right into him

‘.. _Se… Sehun?’_

His voice was hesitant and afraid, Sehun’s blank face and continued silence turning his worry up again

 

And just like that, he slammed back into his senses – hell, it was more like he just couldn’t help it, the sheer fear that was transparent on Tao’s face made him feel like he was on top of the world, joy filling him where there had been nothing only seconds before 

And he burst out laughing,  simultaneously patting Tao’s cheek and moving to get up  
‘Stop it, if you think you can get out of taking me out for Sushi by crying, you are soo wrong’ 

For a moment, Tao just gaped at him, even the tears drying up in shock, as he was finally able to see that Sehun was…  
Not as bad off as he had imagined…

 

_He had been so terribly terrified!!  
_ _Watching Sehun lie motionless on that bed, his insides had felt like they had turned into a heavy block of dread, filling him, replacing the sheer panic that had held him gripped tight from the moment he first heard the thud of Sehun falling..  
_ _He had felt his heart seize and stop for an awful instant and all he could do was watch, till  some miraculous instinct had kicked in, and he’d grabbed him as he fell past him, clutching him against himself..  
_ _Calling and screaming his name, and getting no reply, Sehun’s head lolling weakly against his shoulder.. a horrendously mesmerising trickle of crimson starting to dribble onto Tao’s shirt..  
_ _He didn’t even know how he’d gotten him to the Nurse’s office – he had no recollection of doing so,just the searing memory of the feel of Sehun’s lifeless limbs in his arms, that would probably stay seared into his body for the rest of his life…  
_ _He remembered the Nurse saying something as she bandaged Sehun’s head, but he didn’t even know what..  
_ _He only knew the terrible silence that filled the little curtained partition as she bustled out, leaving him alone with Sehun..  
_ _A Sehun who lay, bone white, and still..  
_ _His chest rising only slightly with each faint breath, his lips cold and blue..  
_ _His skin almost the same colour as the gauze bandage wrapped around his forehead.._

_He hadn’t even been able to…._

_Even though he’d promised himself!!_

_And it was all_  his _fault!!_

The tears started again, slowly coursing down his cheeks as he clenched his fists at his side, watching Sehun’s back as he pulled on his blazer, and straightened his collar.

 

He wiped them away hurriedly as the Nurse came back in, and Sehun smiled at her. They talked about something, but Tao really couldn’t follow the conversation, the dread and panic and fear and most of all, guilt, wouldn’t leave him that easily. He just watched as the Nurse asked Sehun a bunch of questions, flashed a light in his eyes, and had him sit down while she checked him over –   
Coming out of his trance only as she nodded briskly, and patting Sehun’s shoulder in dismissal, left, and Sehun turned back to him   
‘Taozi! Lets go!’ Grinning up at him, with that familiar broad smile, his eyes curling up..

That same smile that had pulled his life to pieces, then fitted them back together more beautifully than he could have ever thought possible

 

That same smile that had..

 

Almost..

_Because of him.._

The next instant Sehun’s arms were wrapped around him, cradling his head down onto his shoulder, light kisses feathering the top.   
‘hey. Its okay, Taotao, I’m perfectly alright.. nothing happened…Didn’t you hear her, the fall didn’t really do anything, its just that I have a sensitive temperament, that’s the only reason I passed out.. its perfectly fine, I’m 100% a-okay! ‘  
Moving away, but still holding onto his arm, Sehun jumped up and down a few times, grinning wildly as he demonstrated his absolute ‘a-okay’-ness, his expression goofy enough to have an involuntary giggle erupting our of Tao.   

 

 _‘Sensitive temperament??!! Sensitive_?’

Tao pulled an exaggeratedly shocked face, before bursting out into laughter, as he punched Sehun’s arm lightly, then kissed him right above the ear, where the pristine white bandage was broken by strands of brilliantly dyed hair.

‘Hey!!! It comes with a supremely artistic and lovely personality like mine!!’

Sehun stuck his tongue out at him -  offended..  
then dissolved into peals of laughter that matched Tao’s increased hoots.   
Still giggling, the boys linked arms, and walked out of the Sick bay.

 

The sun light filtering into the corridor that stood at one end of the school was golden and faint, matching the worn clock above the landing that ticked away 5:00pm with a decorative iron hand.   
The silence was unbroken, and blanketed them in its comforting arms, freeing them of the last vestiges of worry and fear that had plagued both of them. 

‘Hun-ah, wait for me outside, okay, I’ll just be a moment’

‘hmm?? Why, where are you going??’

‘Our things are still in the classroom..  
Plus..  
I DID kinda cut all the afternoon classes, I have to go meet Yixing Laoshi, and..’

Sehun kept his eyes trained on his shoes, hiding the pleased smile that framed his face.   
‘Umm. Okay.’

Tugging Tao back just as he stepped away, he planted a big kiss right on his lips, breaking away to smile up at him.   
‘Don’t be long, k.’

Tao chuckled in reply, playfully yanking a parrot green strand of hair lightly, before turning away, and waving as he walked towards the main hall.

Grinning at the his broad, strong back, Sehun turned around himself, heading to the door –

 

And came to a complete standstill.

 

It was that girl – Mai or whatever, the annoying one who was always hanging around Tao

 _Crap!_  

She was standing just outside the entrance, her mouth hanging open a yard, and her hand going to cover it, moving so torpidly, it was like she was a slow motion reel of a movie, her normally pretty eyes widened horribly as she gaped at Sehun.

She had obviously just seen…

_CRAP!! Tao was gonna –_

_-_ whatever, he could  _think_  later!!

Tossing his hair jauntily (thank goodness he’d gone crazy with the colors – he was sure it leant an added something to the movement), Sehun stuck his hands in his pockets, and  merrily whistling a tune,  sprightly made his way past the petrified girl, the bounce in his step signalling his total nonchalance. She remained frozen in place as he brushed past her, and made his way to the gate, to lean against the grill, one leg propped up against it, sights seemingly fixed in enthrallment at two waxwings that were make their way across the heavy laden skies.

From the corner of his eye, though, he watched her -  standing stock still at the entranceway  for another couple of minutes, then turning to run, past him and down the road, her dark blue-clad figure quickly disappearing around the corner, her head tucked down, and her face hidden…

 

 _Seriously??!! That was it?? She wasn’t even gonna_ say _anything?!_

Yehet!!

_But.._

But that was no guarantee she wouldn’t.

 

His posture unconsciously turning weary, as he braced himself against the gate now, instead of casually leaning against it, Sehun watched the distant horizon with unseeing eyes.  
 _Dammit.  
_ _Just when things had been.._

_There was no way he could ask Tao to..  
_ _After all, everything Tao had worked for , everything he had struggled so tirelessly after.. there was NO WAY he could ask him to throw all that away for his sake.._

_But.._

He _couldn’t give up on this either._

 _There was NO WAY_ he _could do that – he just couldn’t!!!_

_He had never ever before…  
_ _and he would never ever in the future either, have anything like this..  
_ _have anyone like his Taozi._

As he heard the crunch of footsteps behind him, Sehun turned around with a big grin fixed on his face.  
‘C’mon,  _hurry up_ , I’m freezing!!’

‘Ah! Sorry, sorry!’  
Tao broke into a jog, his messenger bag swinging at his side, the strap hitting Sehun’s backpack that he held in one hand.

Sehun reached out for it – but Tao circumvented him, hefting the bag more firmly in his hand, and instead, slipped his free arm around Sehun, and proceeded to guide him down the road, protective and affectionate and radiating a warm strength Sehun could fall into.

_Yup. He’d made his decision._

‘So? What did Laoshi say?’  
‘Eh? Nothing! Apparently Nurse had already told him all about it, he actually just thanked me for staying with you!’ 

‘Aaahhh.. ‘  
Sehun’s tone teasing, he reached up to stroke his cheek.  
‘Even for the crying?’

Tao jerked away, looking offended. ‘Hey!! I DID NOT..’  
Sehun burst out laughing and tip toed to replace his fingers with his lips.  
Sighing, he tightened his arm that was linked with Tao’s and pulled him forward, resting his head on his shoulder as they walked.

‘ _I’m_ grateful though. No one’s ever been that worried about me before. No one’s ever cried for me like that before...  
Only Taozi’

Sehun’s voice came out in a whisper of icy air, the words becoming visible before them in sparkles that held their breaths for an instant, in mid air – before Sehun shrugged away from the startled Tao, and ran ahead, suddenly embarrassed, to where the road intersected beside a giant pine, that still held its needles in memories of the summer….  
Deep green and blowing a warm tang through the sky….

A pang of pain ripping through him, Tao jogged to catch up with him, and slid their hands together again, determinedly lifting the slender white fingers to his lips, before walking ahead quickly, dragging Sehun behind him, keeping his head held aloft, so Hunnie wouldn’t see the glimmer in his eyes.

 

As they walked, they gradually fell into rhythm, their steps matching each other’s, and their breaths making identical puffs in the chill.. but their minds were wrapped around thoughts they couldn’t say out loud - thoughts and feelings that were too private even to tell the other, and the melancholy wreathing them lay chilly and cold.

 

 

 

 

 

But the mood soon lifted, though, as they settled down at the low tables in the private room Tao had confidently asked for, despite the slight frost in the maitre de’s expression at the sight of two high school boys, still in their uniforms, who had walked into the 5 star restaurant.

‘Aahh!! I can’t pick,i want  _everything!!’_ Sehun gleefully flipped the pages of the menu, that was printed on some sort of parchment, before quickly stopping, to assume a superior, arched-eyebrows look.  
‘that is.. everything looks passable..’  
‘Order whatever you want!’  
‘Huh?! Is…that okay…?’  
‘Yup!! Don’t worry about it, just have as much of anything you want!!’’

‘Ah!! In that case, I want Otoro! And… hamachi..  
Oh and the sweet shrimp, with the eggs?? AHh! Wait, Tao-ya let’s try some of this skin rolls ne? Hmm.. I think some octupus will also be good..  
Tss.. but 

I don’t know about the hamachi though … do you think it will be alright in winter.. won’t it be too heavy… ‘

Tao just watched him silently, as he perused the pages, his tongue slipping out to make that familiar motion over his beautiful lower lip, a movement that even  _now_ couldn’t fail to send a shiver of heat running through Tao -  but inside of him, the relief was finally consolidating.  _No way_  could there be a problem if Sehun could drool so obviously over the sushi – while still trying to maintain his unaffected cool guy act!  
Leaning over, he pushed the little button to summon the waiter.

 

‘We’ll have some Katsuo no tataki, Surf clam, Amaebi with ikura..’  
As Tao rattled of an extensive order, including everything he could think of that Sehun might like, he secretly watched the excited grin spreading across Sehun’s face with satisfaction – pride filling him like a neon balloon.

 

 

 

By the time the server finally returned, carrying three large trays,  he found the two boys laughing uproariously as they attempted to play silly balancing games with the chopsticks, trying to get them to stand upright one above the other on the tips of their fingers – just as he entered, the taller one seemed to have said something that sent the other into even more helpless gales of laughter, making him drop the 2 chopsticks he had managed to stand, and in retribution, the smaller boy

( _what in the world was he thinking doing that to his hair!!  
_ _And was that bandage thing the fashion now??!!_ )

picked them up and flung them at his friend, failed to hit him, pulled out more from the box, and stretching over the table, proceeded to hit him repeatedly with it.

 

It took quite a while (and a lot of progressively louder throat clearing) to get them to notice him, and strangely enough, both the boys fell into identical bright crimson blushes, moving back to their own sides of the table hastily,unable to meet his eyes, a reaction Liu Yan, waiter at the Clearwater Japan Sea for almost thirty years now, and hence a supremely qualified judge of people,(or so he considered himself), thought rather excessive for two boys to have..

 

 

 

As the waiter finally left, shooting them yet another suspicious glance, Tao glared at Sehun. ‘You ass!’  
Sehun chuckled at his seemingly furious face – ‘Aah, c’mon now, you know you were utterly flattered that he knew you were with such a fabulous hottie as me!’  
Tao spluttered at him, fighting to maintain his stern face – before breaking down into laughter.

Wheezing and clutching his side, he finally managed to gasp out – ‘omg, I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in my life, as I have with you, Hunnie’  
Sehun blushed, feeling inutterably proud, only saying ‘ Shuttup, its not funny, you don’t know how lucky you are to have landed someone like me!!’  
Tao sobered right away at that, suddenly holding Sehun’s eyes with his own, burningly intense gaze.  
‘Believe me, I DO know’

For a moment, they just stared at each other…  
Unable to say anything..

 

Then Sehun broke away, blushing fiery. ‘Err.. let’s eat.. I mean, before it..’  
‘Yeah, yeah, lets eat, before it gets cold’ Embarrassed at his outburst, Tao jumped to clutch at the straw Sehun offered, and quickly reached to place a piece of Otoro on his plate.  
‘Try this first, its rea-‘  
His words were cut off as Sehun spontaneously reached over and placed a kiss on his forehead, before settling back down to attack the fish with his chopsticks, like nothing had happened.

 

‘UM!! Omg Taozi, this is  _brilliant_!!’  
Sehun closed his eyes in rapture, as the smooth, buttery fish slid down his throat.  
‘Hehe, isn’t it, though!’ Tao grinned, happy that his meticulously selected dishes (which, to be honest, he had spent most of the day thinking about; it was ridiculous the way even Chen Laoshi explaining a theorem had only filled his mind with wondering about Sehun’s preferences regarding horse sashimi) had succeeded in being ones that his Hunnie enjoyed.  
‘Here, try this’  
He held out some shrimp and roe on his chopsticks, and Sehun leaned forward, to suck it off, smiling up at him.  
They spent the whole meal feeding each other little pieces of sushi, Sehun having ended up on Tao’s side of the table at some point, Tao’s leg stretched over his thigh as they sat as close together as they possibly could, the warmth of each other’s skin much more real to them than that of the little coal brazier in the corner of the room.  
‘Seriously??  _Five??’  
_ _‘_ yeah!’  
‘Wow!! The first time I had sushi, I was twelve –and I  _hated it_!’  
‘Eeeeehh?? Why??!! Sushi is so good!!’  
‘hehe, well, yeah, I mean, I like it now..but at the time, I hated it!! I remember the fuss I made at the restaurant.. poor Mom was so embarrassed!’  
‘ohmygod, I can imagine!! Your mom sounds pretty cool, it must be such a toil for her to have such an embarrassment of a son!’  
Tao flicked his finger sharply against Sehun’s forehead.  
‘Oh yeah… I  _still_ don’t know how you managed to talk her into letting me spend the night with you, though!! You don’t know.. she’s pretty strict about things like that…’  
‘Of course its coz she liked me as soon as she spoke to me!! Cool people always recognize each other, ya know… Of course, that’s not something someone like you would know anything about, though…’  
He stuck his tongue out at Tao, before opening his mouth wide for the fish-skin roll Tao was proffering. Tao whipped his chopsticks away at the last second, though, making Sehun’s teeth snap together with a painful sounding click.  
‘what’d ya say?’  
‘What… oh, didn’t you gettit? I meant - coz you are soo uncool..’  
Sehun burst into giggles at his own cheek, lifting one hand to cover his mouth, as Tao hit him over the back.

 

 

It was already pretty late by the time the boys left the restaurant, Sehun trying to hide his joy at the pride he felt at the way Tao had settled their exorbitant bill without a second glance, like nothing was too good for him to buy him.  
As they walked along, side by side, hand in hand, he felt like his heart would burst though..

 

Tao was so perfect in every way..  
More handsome than he could even describe, so clever and smart and talented even the teachers looked up to him..  
 _Everyone_  in the entire school, for that matter, was in awe of him!!

So manly and yet so charming..

That one day they’d fought hadn’t been the first time Sehun had watched him practicing his Wushu – (though earlier, he’d always done it secretly, peering into a window at the back of the practice hall while balancing on an old sandbag he had rolled all the way across the feild from the boxing club just for this purpose) and he could attest that Tao was every bit as strong as any hero in one of the martial arts movies he’d idolized ever since he was little…

 

 

 

That day he’d first spotted him – he still remembered so vividly the way his insides had flipped over, at the sight of the tall, broad shouldered boy, with black framed spectacles, muscles he could clearly see even from all the way across the road – and the cutest whine  _ever_ , as he complained about something to the guy he was with.  
Sehun had watched, breathless, as the two had gone into the little café attached to the antique shop, his eyes unable to move off of the black haired hottie…  
He stayed where he was, leaning his chin on the windowsill for a whole half hour, not moving even an inch, till they came out..  
His heart leaping uncontrollably as the boy stretched, stepping into the sunlight, his muscles bulging spectacularly..arching his neck…  
The long line of his throat suddenly had Sehun’s mouth going dry..  
Then a giggle burst out of him, as the boy bent down to pet the calico cat that had followed him out of the café, and was twining itself around his legs – his squeals were audible clear across the road!!  
‘Omg, look Kris, she likes me!! Waa~~ just look at her, so pretty!!!’

 _He was so cute!!!_  Despite looking so manly and strong, and…  
D.a.n.g.e.r.o.u.s.  
He was actually such a marshmallow!!!

The boy straightened, and in a moment that Sehun would remember perfectly for as long as he lived, he looked right across the street –  
Right at Sehun.

Even as he jerked back, suddenly afraid he’d been spotted, his head was a complete mess – those eyes..  
Those beautiful eyes, almond and fire, the upper lid as sharp as the lower was seductively swollen.. the trace of a dark smudge outlining them like a gently stroking finger  
Their depths blazing potently….

 

The next instant, he felt cold and empty – the Vision he’d given his heart to, completely and irrevocably, in just the space of one look, was leaning up to plant a kiss on the cheek of the blond guy he was with… 

Who ruffled his hair in response

a scorching flash of anger filled Sehun –  _who did he think he was, touching_ him  _so casually,_ mixed up with jealousy and the edge of despair that grew and grew in the next few days..

 

Try as he might, he couldn’t put the thought of the boy out of his mind..  
He analyzed each second of those few minutes over and over.  
The way he had looked, each little gesture and movement..  
His clothes –   
the brand labels shiny and new..   
Clearly he was from a well off family.  
This realization had Sehun spending two entire hours poring over a Qingdao Guide book, marking all the better neighbourhoods – before he flung the book away from himself in frustration –  _what was he even doing!! He couldn’t wander the roads on the off chance that, in this city of 2.7 million people, he would run into_ him  _again!!!!_  
Everytime he walked through the town, though, his heart clenched painfully whenever, ahead of him, he caught sight of a back that looked like his..  
Or out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a profile that was similar  
Even pictures in magazines that sported a hairstyle that looked like his was sufficient to have the blood rushing to his head

Over and over again, he told himself to cut it out -  _What in the world was wrong with him!  
_ He had had crushes before, of course, but never ever before had he..  
HA! Usually it was the other way around, it was always him people were obsessing over!  
Honestly,  _he_  was the one who always thought it pathetic the way girls tried to make stupid excuses to talk to him.. or follow him home, calling him at all hours, even going so far as to steal his things (okay, that was more ‘creepy’ than laughable).. more than a couple of guys had been the same way, trying to get close to him, to touch him –  
And he’d found it utterly disgusting. Every. Time.

But now..

Now  _he_ was turning into one of those stalkers!!

He, who used to always say how revolting it was that people would think of him like that, when they didn’t even know the first thing about him,  was the one who spent hours day dreaming about a boy he had barely seen for a few minutes..

And try as he might, he couldn’t help himself..

Try as he might, he couldn’t stop.

 

He himself knew there was no hope of ever even seeing him again..

He himself knew how stupid he was being when he imagined what his  hair would feel like..if it was as silky as it looked..

Or how it would feel to have that gorgeously adorable smile directed at him

 

Of course he knew how pathetic he was being!

 

Yet…

 

When it was decided that he could stay on here and go to a local school, the thrill he had felt had nothing to do with the freedom he would now have, or the exotic idea of living in a foreign country..  
No, deep inside of him, he hadn’t been able to quell the thought that ..  _maybe…._ just maybe, he might..  
Just..  
Be able to see  _him_ again..

Somehow..

 

 

Even from a distance..

Even if just for a bit..

Even if absolutely nothing happened

_He was perfectly fine with it!_

If only…

 

_If..only…_

 

He could just  _see_ him once more, just one more time – he wouldn’t ask for anything more than that…..

 

 

 

 

 

The next instant, Sehun jumped as icy fingertips grazed the skin of his back, setting off a shiver of goosebumps leaching across his entire body  
‘ _Finally!! A reaction!!’_  
‘Huh..!!’  
‘Se-Hu-Nah!!!!  Don’t ‘Huh’ me, you idiot, honestly, how long do you think I’ve been trying to get your attention for??!!!!’ 

Still slightly out of focus, his mind which was still wreathed around his memories, took a moment to realise Tao was frowning at him with real worry  
Giggling, his happiness bubbling out of every pore, he stopped walking right where they were, in the middle of the road, to turn and wrap his arms around Tao as tight as he could, burying his head as deep into his chest as he could

‘Hunnie??!!’

_Hehe. Taozi sounded so worried…_

‘Sehun!! Sehun, what-‘

Finally realising that what Sehun was shaking with was  _laughter,_ Tao chuckled himself – at first with relief, but then..  
With that bubbly feeling that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his heart ever since..  
Ever since he had met this kid, actually..

At that moment, Tao forgot about everything else  
Everyone else  
In that moment, it didn’t matter that they were in the middle of a crowded city street in the evening  
With hundreds of people around, despite the light snow that was falling..  
It didn’t matter that this was his city, where he, or at least, his family, was fairly well known  
It didn’t matter that he had spent every moment of the 16 and a half years of his life hiding this side of himself from everybody  
It didn’t matter that till now, the one thing that had mattered most to him was his ‘image’  
His reputation  
Right now it was all so immaterial, even the thought of such things never even crossed his mind

The dread he had lived with, every second, the weight that he had borne every instance, just disappeared – like it had never even existed

Pushing his own arms around Sehun, he reached up behind him to gently stroke his neck…  
And moving his fingers along that incredible jawline to grip his chin, he lifted his head  
Angling his face to his  
Pausing for a moment, as his hot breath glistened over the tiny snowflake that had entangled in Sehun’s eyelashes..  
Gleaming as he blinked hesitantly up at Tao..

 

And then he closed his eyes  
And leaned forward that last tiny fraction

 

Behind him, the sounds of the cars,  
the voices of a gazillion people..  
The sound of the wind in the leaves..  
Everything faded away

 

And, somehow, feeling like it was for the first time ever, he kissed Sehun. 

 


	10. Chapter Ten

Well.. goodnight then, Tao-ya’

‘Huh?? Where are you going?’

Sehun, who had stopped at the edge of the road beside the supermarket, turned a puzzled gaze at Tao  
‘eer.. _home?_ ’

  
Even though he had never been that way,  
( _Somehow he had always managed to stop himself.. though the temptation had been ever-present, ever since Lu Han had casually mentioned Tao’s address, in the course of a conversation ~~which had, of course, actually been engineered by Sehun, though no one realised that~~ , about how dedicated he was to his Wushu, and staying in perfect shape, that he even walked all the way to school every morning, despite being one of the students who lived furthest away, etc…)  
_he knew that Tao’s house was down the road to the right..  
Two blocks over…  
 _(Sehun hadn’t been able to stop himself from doing all his shopping at this particular supermarket, though, despite it being a good way from his own place..  
_ _And the abundance of convenience stores that were actually better and closer..)_  
While he had a fairly long walk ahead of him in the opposite direction. 

Holding tightly to Tao’s hand still, he reached up to peck him lightly on the lips.  
‘Goodnight.’

Tao pulled back, laughing. ‘What the hell are you talking about, do you really think I’m going to let you walk home alone..’  
His voice proclaiming how very ridiculous the idea was, Tao pulled Sehun’s arm through his, and turned to the left.  
A grin sparkling through his eyes, Sehun quickened his steps to match Tao’s, purposely watching their reflection in the window panes they passed..

_Damn they looked good together_

Their footsteps moving in sync through the snow that was falling in earnest now…

‘It’s not like I need you to take care of me or anything, you know, I’m perfectly alright going home on my own!’  
Sehun’s voice pitched high  
‘Aaahh, is that so..’  
Tao chuckled down at him like he was the most adorable thing he had ever seen.  
‘I’m serious!’  
Tao tilted only his head slightly, to plant a kiss right on the top of Sehun’s head, where the parting glowed with strands of pink and blue from the lights of the streetlamps they passed.  
‘I’m sure you can… Let’s just say this is for  _me_ , then, k, so  _I_ won’t be worried..’

Grumbling under his breath about how Tao was a pain and a worrywart, and ‘are you my dad or what’, none of which did a single thing to hide the really pleased beam that stretched from ear to ear, or the blush that covered his cheeks completely, Sehun walked beside his boy..

 _His_ boy

_Wow, it still felt so incredible.._

_Unbelievable_

 

‘Ne.. Hunnie?’

‘Hmm?’

They had stopped at the spot at the top of the hill,  _their spot,_ where the view spread out before them..  
The lights of the town seemed to blink on and off, the falling snow hiding it from sight momentarily.. the sea in the distance dark and mysterious, a vacuum that contrasted breathtakingly with the neon and gold flashing through the city…  
The cold air icy and frigid, sharp despite the wetness of the flurry that was pearling through it, seemed somehow to enhance the beauty of the scene  
Sehun was cuddled right into Tao, getting as close as he could to the strong, firm body behind him, that radiated a warmth he longed to just sink into.. bury himself completely in..

Tao wrapped his arms around him from the back, and pulled him even closer

‘Are you really alright?’

‘A _l....right….??  
_ EEHHHH!!  
Are you  _still_ worried about that??!!! Of course I’m alright, don’t I look alright??!!’

‘eermm.. well… you DO seem okay…  
But…  
…’

‘Tao-ya!!’ Sehun jerked backwards, head-butting him. ‘Stop it, I’m perfectly alright!’

‘…yeah… you’re right, ne, of course you are… sorry…’

Tao rubbed his arms up and down Sehun’s sides, then moved away, the forced cheer injected into his voice one that Sehun could easily tell was fake

‘Aaaaaahh, TaoTao!!! Honestly, what do I have to do to prove I’m ok..  
Wait….i know,  I’ll  _race_  you!’

‘Huh??!’

 _‘C’mon,_ from here till my house!’

‘ _What?_ Eermm,how about, let’s not _…..’_

‘Bah!! I should have known you’d be chicken… Are you that afraid of getting your butt kicked by me -  
 _Spineless Wushu captain_!! ’

 

Leaving behind a spluttering Tao, Sehun took off down the road, his laughter floating back to Tao…  
Who couldn’t help laughing too, as he burst into a run, weaving through the snow behind Hunnie

 

 

By the time they reached the doorstep of Sehun’s house, both of them were puffing breaths like clouds of smoke, chortling and gasping – Sehun had managed to retake the lead, after losing it miserably one street over  - but only by yelling out to Tao, pretending to have slipped and fallen, making him run back anxiously – then pulling the concernedly bending boy right over, into a partly formed snowdrift by the roadside, and running ahead while he could

As Sehun stood on the step, raising both hands in exaggerated victory, yelling ‘Yehet! I WON!’ though, a dripping wet Tao came up to him, determinedly wound both arms around him, picked him up, and unceremoniously dumped him right into the pile of snow that had been carefully piled up by the wayside.

‘T—Taao--!!’

Sehun sputtered, coming up for air, indignantly glaring at Tao, who was bent over double with laughter.

‘Oh yeah??!!’ Gathering up a handful of snow from his lap, Sehun tossed the ball right at Tao’s head, the pieces sliding over his face wiping it of the laughter, replacing it with a gasp – that quickly turned into hoots and howls that matched Sehun’s own, as the snowballs started flying between them thick and fast.

 

‘ _Oh Sehun you are SO dead!!’_

_‘Yeah right, maybe if you could hit the side of a building with a banana, you blind monkey’_

‘…….

W

H

A

T

?

!’

Tao’s laughter quickly stopped though, when a snowball landed cleanly inside his mouth

‘Serves you right!’

Sehun clutched his sides as he laughed at Tao’s face, starting to get up – only to fall over into the snow again, when a perfectly aimed snowball hit him right over the butt, making Tao literally howl, ‘omg, I cant believe you actually  _fell_ , what are you, some third rate comedian…’  
Before he had to crouch down himself to escape the torrent of balls that were hurled at him

Finally, Tao managed to barrel right through the line of fire, and fling himself bodily over Sehun, pining his arms and effectively ending the fight.  
Over Hunnie’s helpless laughing protests, he swung him up – carrying him in both arms like he was…  
Precious..  
 _Delicate_  
areful….yet his fingers tight and firm against Sehun’s ribs  
His lips nizzling and tickling Sehun’s neck

_He was so strong!!_

Just how easily he could lift him about…  
 _Manhandle him…  
_ Sehun couldn’t even get his mind around how sexy that was..

 

Sexy..  
Yet somehow, at the same time, sending a shaft of tenderness and love through him that was almost pain

 

Something deep deep inside him turned over agonizingly, as he pushed his arms around Tao’s neck as he carried him up the stairs, and, authoritatively digging the key out of Sehun’s pocket, unlocked the door -  only letting him down once they were inside.

 

_Was this really okay?_

_Was it alright to love him so so much?_

He had never felt like this before..  
He didn’t know how to handle this..  
somehow, the depth of his feeling was frightening… and it was only growing everyday

 

He had never felt like this before..  
He had thought, back when he was uselessly obsessing over the boy he had barely seen, that he was ‘in love’

But this..  
This was something so complete and total..  
 _Could it even be summed up so prettily, so simply, so easily, as  being ‘in love’??!!!!!_

He had NEVER felt like this before..  
No one,  _nobody_ , in the entire world had ever looked at him the way Tao did..  
No one had  _ever_ held him so gently, or touched him so protectively  
He had never come across anyone who so clearly thought so highly of him..  
Like he was  _magical,_ like he was so special and out of the ordinary, and perfect…  
He had never come across anyone who felt like he was so precious, that they just  _had_ to take care of him with everything they had…  
He didn’t know anyone to whom, even the idea that something might happen to him, would be so very terrible, would destroy them so completely…that it would be such a permeating fear…

 

‘ _HUNNIE!!_ Seriously, can you stop spacing out every two minutes??!!’

‘Ah! Sorry!! I was just thinking…’

‘Oho?About what?’

‘Eerrmm…

Just… stuff..’

‘Eeeeehhhh…’ Tao’s voice held a note that sent shivers up and down Sehun’s spine

‘What sort of  _stuff_?’

‘Shuddup!’ Blushing now, even though he really hadn’t thought anything that deserved that particular quality of teasing that Tao was dealing out, Sehun wriggled away from his grasp, punching him on the shoulder as he did so.

Tao reached out just as he pulled away, though, grasping the bottom of his shirt, and jerking him back into his arms. Bending, he planted a kiss right on that patch of skin behind his ear where his neck was most sensitive, sending such spirals of weakness spilling through Sehun that he collapsed helplessly against the broad chest behind him.

Taking advantage of his boneless state, Tao reached over to twitch his blazer off, pull off his tie (which was barely hanging on, following all their horseplay) and, gripping him by the waist, turned him over and swung him over one shoulder in a single smooth movement.

‘ _Taozi!! Let me down!!’_

‘Hmm…’

‘What ‘Hmm’!’

Tao mischievously pinched Sehun’s butt, which was right next to his ear

‘Let me think about it..’

‘TAOTAO!!!’

Try as he might to sound unaffected – no,  _irritated_ even, Sehun failed miserably, his state of pleased arousal was crystal clear through his voice..

And the involuntary wiggle of his butt

 

Ignoring his continued protests, Tao carried him right through the house, all the way to the tiny little utility room off the kitchen, and, setting him down carefully on top of the washing machine, he pulled out a large fluffy towel from the linen cupboard ( _How in the world did he even know his way around Sehun’s house so well_ , already??!!)

Leaning forward, he caught Sehun’s lips in his own, kissing him deeply, as he slowly reached to unbutton his shirt, moving down to trail kisses over every little bit of exposed skin. More gentle than he had ever been before..

Completely devoid of any urgency, like there was zero sexual component..

Like he was only kissing Sehun because he wanted to  _kiss_ him, like just kissing him was his ultimate desire..

To tenderly press his lips against Sehun’s milky white skin…to taste him….

 

It felt so good..

 

Sehun drifted into pools of drowsiness as Tao swathed the towel over his head..the dreamy feeling pervading him replacing the arousal and excitement of the earlier moment

 

He sleepily draped his arms around Tao’s neck, running his fingers through his hair

Tao kept kissing him..

Gently..

Softly..

Sehun stretched languorously under him…

His eyes half closing..

 

Moving back to plant one last peck on his lips, Tao pulled away to thoroughly rub his head with the towel, drying his hair..

While taking care of the bandage around his head.

‘Ahh.. Hun ah..’

‘Hmm….’

Sehun’s voice was a purr

‘This bandage is dripping wet… aah, we should never have – ‘

‘Take it off’

‘Huh?! We cant just – ‘

‘Its fine…Where the hell were you, didn’t you hear Nurse say she’d take it off in school itself, but I said I’d do it when I got home..

Ya know..

Coz I needed to make sure my hair was in good shape underneath before I let people see it’

Tao took two steps back, stammering in surprise

‘Huh??!! Bu—but.. wait, what? What about the wound??’

‘’What wound?’

‘It was bleeding!!’

‘Eeeehhh…’ Sehun shrugged. ‘I don’t know about that, she didn’t say anything about me being hurt…’

 

After gasping at Sehun for a bit longer, Tao moved back to him, grumbling about ‘do you have any idea how worried I’ve been’ and ‘Then you should have taken it off!’ and ‘Not hurt, what did you think, why did she bandage it in the first place, for fun??!’ yet, his fingers were supremely gentle and….  _Soothing,_ even, as he firmly pulled off the tiny snips of tape that held the gauze in place, and carefully, cautiously, unwound it from around Sehun’s head.

His eyes narrowed in concern, he warily parted the strands of hair that were flopping and bouncing up resolutely from where they had been flattened all this while.

 

‘Satisfied, now? ‘

Sehun thrust his tongue out at him, cheekily grinning, when Tao finally lifted his eyes off – even he had been unable to find anything more than a little graze right at one corner of his forehead, despite spending ages poring over Sehun’s head, searching anxiously.

‘well…’

Tao couldn’t suppress the giant smile stretching across his face, the bubbly feelings of joy and relief stifling his voice, he could only ruffle Hunnie’s hair in response, and bend to the task at hand.

 

Carefully peeling off Sehun’s unbuttoned shirt, Tao wiped him down meticulously, then wrapped the towel around him, and, with one last, thorough kiss,  moved to go through to the bathroom to run him a hot bath, yelling back (twice) to ‘stay there, just a moment… _don’t move_ ’

 

 

Stepping into the bathroom, Tao drew a deep breath, collapsing weakly against the cold tiles that etched over the wall

_Finally_

Finally, he was absolutely sure –

Having seen with his own eyes, how could he be worried any longer?

Sehun was fine.

 

Sehun was  _alright_

The niggling little voice at the back of his head, the panic that threatened just a hair’s breadth away, finally, at last, melted away completely..

 

It was only now that Tao realised how very afraid he had been

Even though he had been able to put it out of his mind while they were at the restaurant..

Or even right now, when they had been playing in the snow –

He hadn’t realised he’d only buried the worry for the moment.

_He had been so sure Sehun was.._

But the relief that now poured into every fibre of his being was the most wonderful thing he’d ever felt

_He could still remember the way his heart had seized.._

_He could still remember that feeling of Sehun in his arms, his body lacking all resistance, his limbs flopping uselessly.._

_His arms bouncing flaccidly against Tao as he carried him to the Nurse’s.._

_Even though he had insisted right now, just a few minutes back, on carrying Sehun into the house himself – of course, because he wanted to….to..take care of his precious boy.._

_But also because…_

_A part of him deep down had all the while been comparing..  to make sure of the difference.._

_To make sure of the way his boy felt in his arms_

_But no matter how many times he did it again, he couldn’t erase that memory, could he, he couldn’t reset his body from that feeling…_

_He had been right, he’d probably remember it as long as he lived_

 

He had been so terrified!!

_He had been so sure Sehun had split his head open.._

_But in reality there was nothing more than a slight graze…_

 

Desperately thanking all the Gods he could think of ( the first thud of his Hunnie’s head hitting the step still resounding in his ears), and frantically grateful to the luck that had kept him safe despite it all, Tao squeezed his eyes tight for a moment, his hands fisting against his chest.

 

When he finally shook it off, and stepped forward resolutely again, there were tears in his eyes.

 

Blinking them away, he crinkled back the shower curtain – grinning crookedly, involuntarily, as he remembered the last time he had heard this particular jingle – and knelt beside the tub, firmly twisting open the taps at the head.

It took a bit but eventually, Tao grunted to himself in approval - ‘Yup.’ The water was the perfect temperature. Pulling his fingers out of the water, and shaking them off, Tao stepped back – only to stumble into Sehun.

‘Hunnahh!! I told you to sit still, didn’t i!’ Tao playfully tugged his ear. ‘Honestly, such a naughty child..’

Sehun stuck his tongue out at Tao, before pushing his forehead into Tao’s shoulder.

‘You’re wet too, what about  _you_?’

‘Never mind that, get in quickly, before you catch a cold!’

Admonishing him firmly, Tao removed himself from the scene (he seriously doubted his ability to hold back, if he were to watch Sehun undressing and getting into the steaming, bubbly bath), only to have Sehun’s towel hit him squarely in the back as he left.

Chuckling, Tao turned to pick it up, and reassuringly waved it at Sehun, before starting to dry off his own hair, as he walked back to the kitchen.

 

 

‘bbbbbbdnfjd’

Sehun made incoherent noises  against the back of Tao’s neck, having come up behind him, leaning his entire body, which smelled wonderfully clean, and fruity, and sweet and  _oh so delicious,_ against his.

Tao, giggling at the ticklish feeling of Hunnie’s lips and hot breath against his skin, swung an arm around him , partly turning

‘Here’

‘Hmm?’

‘It’s hot cocoa, drink up!’ 

 

 

Sehun reflexively reached out for the mug, that immediately sent silky filaments of warmth steaming through his fingers. Wordlessly he just stared at Tao, blinking hard, the sudden lump that had risen to his throat making it hard to swallow

Coming into the kitchen all he’d thought of was just how sexy Tao looked – his hair damp and standing on end, his blazer off, and his still soggy school shirt nearly transparent, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he bent over the counter

He’d been seized with just one thought – that he wanted, desperately, for reasons that he just couldn’t fathom, to  _smell_ him, to submerge himself in the scent that was peculiarly TAO, and without a second thought he’d just walked over to stuff his face against Tao’s neck, his chest clamped  against those chiselled back muscles and shoulder bones,  slightly losing his mind in that damp, steamy, manly aroma spiked with trickles of sweat….

 

But now..

 

The way Tao’d made sure he got dry..

 that fluffy fuzziness that filled him as those long fingers moulded over his skull over the towel

he couldn’t even remember anyone doing that for him when he was a child

The way he’d drawn him a bath – Sehun had found it almost comical, the look of concentration on Tao’s face as he knelt beside the tub, two fingers in the water, meticulously checking the temp was perfect…

The way he held him.. carried him…

Not even letting his feet touch the ground..

Making him feel  _cherished……_

 

the way he’d even made him hot cocoa, despite the fact that he himself was practically still dripping..

 

The way he was smiling at him…

 

_He couldn’t BEAR it_

He couldn’t bear it any longer

 

No more, please…..please don’t ..make him…

 

 

‘SEHUN!!??!!’

It was only the dramatic change in Tao’s expression, the way he quickly grabbed Sehun’s shoulders, shaking him slightly, that made Sehun realise his thoughts must’ve become evident in his expression –

Dammit

DAMN IT he couldn’t let Tao see….

 

A single tear was streaming down his face, slowly, plopping into the cocoa with a tiny little splash that resounded eerily through the suddenly silent room, as he soundlessly heaved with sobs, his shoulders shaking spasmodically

 

‘SEHUN!! Please tell me what happened!! Is it your head, does it hurt??!!’

 

Sehun’s tears increasing, he shook his head, trying to wrench away from Tao…

 to hide his face from him

Damn it to hell, he couldn’t have  _Tao_  seeing him -

 

But Tao wouldn’t let go.

His fingers were digging into Sehun’s upper arms, the nails biting into his flesh, as he shook him harder in desperation, almost yelling now , as he cried out Sehun’s name repeatedly

‘Sehun!! Sehun, please, what happened , it IS your head isn’t this, this is all my fault, I shouldn’t..

I was just..

Sehun, please,  _talk to me!!!!’_

Tao’s voice was breaking.. his words getting thicker, as…

 

_‘No..’_

Sehun’s voice was a chocked out whisper – he couldn’t say another word – just repeating that one syllable over and over

‘no… no..’

_No, its not my head.._

_No, please don’t.._

_its not your fault.._

_No…please don’t cry_

_I’m not…_

Tao’s fingers caught his jaw, turning his face up to him, resolutely, catching his eyes with his own, that were now glimmering themselves

His burning gaze firing through Sehun.

But his voice was somehow calm.. determined

Unwavering

‘Sehun. Tell me what’s wrong.’

 

It was the first time Sehun was seeing such an expression on Tao’s face – implacable and inescapable.

 

Like some dam burst inside him, the words rushed out in a torrent, interrupted by the dry sobs that still heaved through him, catching odd tones

‘She saw us in school Tao, Mai, she was at the entrance, and she saw and she didn’t say anything, she just left, but I didn’t know what to do, and I couldn’t tell you because I knew you’d -  _Tao please_ , you can’t -  I’m sure if you talk to her,tell her it was a dare… you know her right and she didn’t even say anything, she just ran, but I’m sure she’d listen to you, if you say something..tell her I forced you.. make up SOME excuse, if its you, she’ll definitely listen, right…

’

His voice trialled off as Tao’s body grew stiff, abruptly unyielding against his own

Tao’s expression turned completely unreadable, and his hands fell away from Sehun.

 

He angled his head away, breaking their gaze, his face no longer visible to Sehun, as he spoke..

His words, for the first time ever, carrying a chill that struck Sehun through the bones

‘Mai….. saw us… in school?’

 

‘Y…es..’ This time, it was sheer fear that had Sehun trembling, a fear and panic looming out at him..

That he couldn’t…

 

‘I see.’

Tao’s voice was quiet..

Empty

 

But somehow…

 

Even that time they’d fought had been better.. at least then..

At least then there had been  _something_

 

Tao moved away from Sehun, then turned to look at him..

His eyes were hooded as his gaze raked over Sehun -  like he was a total stranger

Like he didn’t even know who Sehun was!!

 

‘N….no…’ Sehun was shaking his head, desperately, his hands reaching out towards Tao instinctively

‘No. No.

Wait,Tao!!’

 

‘Sehun, its getting really late – I have to leave now, my Mom’s been kinda upset with me lately, hehe, and if I’m late again today, she’ll kill me! You should go to bed quickly, okay, be careful you don’t catch a cold!’

 

His words were casual, yet polite..

Not at all the way he normally spoke to him.

Sehun’s hands only touched the cold air

 

Without even another glance at him, Tao pulled on his blazer, that he’d discarded beside the kitchen counter, and made his way to the front door, gathering up his bag along the way.

 

‘Well…. Goodnight then! Get yourself into bed right away, okay! And finish the cocoa while its still hot!!’

He smiled perfunctorily at Sehun as he stepped out

 

For a moment - a moment long enough for Tao to leave and pull the door shut behind him, Sehun stood completely frozen. Then, like a bolt of electricity had run through him, he leapt forward. ‘TAO!!’ Sehun’s voice broke as he screamed out, and wrenched the door open, the handle slipping twice out of his palms that were suddenly sweaty, as he hurtled outside himself, his mind a total blank

He didn’t, he  _couldnt_ think of anything,  _anything_ other than getting Tao back

He couldn’t let him leave like this – not for this, not for something like this

He couldn’t let him leave like this, without even being able to

To…tell him…

 

Fuckit, This was _not_  happening.

 

Ahead of him, he could see the dark back disappearing down the street.

Unthinking of the cold, unmindful of the fact that he was only wearing a T shirt and shorts, and a pair of fluffy house slippers, oblivious to the light dusting of snow that was covering the road, he ran behind Tao

But even though he opened his mouth any number of times, to call out to him, his name at the tip of his voice – he couldn’t get the sound out

He was so scared

What if Tao..

What if he…

 

Wrapped in the silence that was settling through his body, blanketing him even thicker than the snow, drowning all his screaming pain in heavy white fingers, Sehun stumbled thoughtlessly through the cold behind Tao. The lights of cars passed beside him as he walked like fairy lights from someplace far far away  
The same path they had played over, together, a bare hour ago - their laughter was like a shadow that still hung over the asphalt

 

He only vaguely noted when the tall navy clad figure turned down a road he hadn’t been before – he just followed, not even caring about where he was going..

Yet inside him, unconsciously, the knowledge swelled ..

 

And twenty minutes later, it was confirmed.

 

As Sehun watched the dark head bend down to the uplifted one, gleaming and glittering in the golden light spilling out from the open door, his fingers clenching against the light post he was holding himself up with, he knew he’d known.

 

He had known all the while he was watching numbly as Tao walked, unhesitant, to a small but neat house with the pretty garden. As he rang the doorbell and was invited in almost immediately.

He had known even as he stood waiting, beside the steel lamppost, hidden from view in the shadows interspersing the pools of light it cast over the cold ground  
Waiting, for a good 15 minutes, before the door opened again

And when two people stepped out, hand in hand- He had known 

Somehow

 

His breath still gasped out of him in shock, though, as Tao straightened, ending their kiss, and Mai said something to him, her laughing voice carrying indistinctly yet unmistakably on the wind to where Sehun stood, the cold etching ragged patterns on the steel

 

Tao turned to wave to her one last time, before walking away

Sehun was close enough to hear her delightedly laugh yet again, as she went back in and shut the door

 

That sound shifted things inside him drastically – the anger burst through his veins, turning his vision red

His heart pounded in his head, so loud..

 

‘Ooff!’

Tao gasped as the figure barrelled into him, out of the night, knocking him over and straddling him

‘Se…. _Sehun??!!’_

‘HOW COULD YOU!!!! I knew you would..what did you do!!!!!!!! Why would you even….I  _TOLD_  you to – ‘

‘OH SEHUN!!! What the hell are you doing??!!!!!! What the hell are you  _WEARING???!!!_  Are you CRAZY??!!!’

Sehun pushed him down again as Tao started to stand, his hands tightly gripping Tao’s shoulders and shoving them into the snow

His tears fell, hot and salty, over Tao’s face as he bent over him

‘I SAW YOU!!! You were… why would you DO that, what did she do, bargain for it??Blackmail you??!! Of course not, you looked so happy!!AND you knew your way here so well!!Ha, how many times have you done this??!!!!!’

Breaking off, Sehun raised an arm to swipe across his streaming eyes, then pounded it into the ground beside Tao’s head

‘This was a good excuse to get what you wanted, wasn’t it….Is that all this means to you??!!!!’

‘SEHUN!!!’

Tao’s voice carried a barely suppressed note of violence as he charged up, unmindful of Sehun’s antagonism, pulling him to his feet, and yanking off his own blazer, wound it around Sehun, wrapping his muffler around his neck, and pulling his beanie over his head

‘STOP IT!!! I don’t want  _you_ to help me in any way!!! I don’t want anything from you!!’

Screaming, Sehun wrenched the beanie off, throwing it on the ground

‘Switch pants with me’

‘WHAT!!!’

‘SEHUN!! Are you crazy, even though I said everything I could to make you think there was NO problem, why couldn’t you just leave it to me!!! Even though I put on my most confident face for you!!!! Look at you!!!!! You’re wearing fucking  _shorts_ you nutjob!!! Can you even feel this!!!’Tao grabbed Sehun’s cold fingers in his own hands, rubbing the tips that were already blue and unresponsive

Grumbling, Tao tugged him forward, stuffing Sehun’s hands into his own shirt, laying them against his warm skin, the muscles of his abdomen clenching spasmodically at the icy touch

But Sehun wrenched them away, stepping backwards, moving right away from Tao, his eyes ablaze.

‘I SAW YOU KISS HER!!’

‘eerr… yeah.. I did… She’s such a total sweetheart… so what..?’

‘ _she’s such a total sweetheart??!!!!!!!!! SHE’S SUCH A TOTAL SWEETHEART??!!_

 _FINE!!!_  
you know what??!! FINE!!!

You can go date  _her_!! I utterly DO NOT even care!’

 

Tao heaved an exasperated sigh, and pulled Sehun firmly back as he started to stalk off, wrapping his arms possessively around him, and frog walked him in the opposite direction, totally ignoring Sehun’s yells and shouted swear words, and attempts to get away. Barely a block down, they came to a little clothing store, all pink and yellow, with large bejewelled flowers framing the window and decorating the entrance

‘C’mon’

Tao thrust him inside, and stepped forward immediately to block the door, pre-empting Sehun as he whirled around, ready to head right out

‘You’re not getting out dressed like that, so the sooner you get some clothes on, the sooner you can leave’ Tao smirked at him, poking one long finger into his forehead

Glaring at him while rubbing his forehead with both hands, Sehun spun on one heel and marched savagely into the store, grabbing the first thing that came to hand, and without even looking at it, he thrust it towards the toothlessly smiling old lady at the counter

‘What now?!!’ He rounded on Tao, from whom a giggle had erupted, even though he had stifled it quickly

At the sight of Sehun’s indignant face, though, Tao couldn’t hold back any more, and he erupted into hoots of laughter, bending double, and hitting his knee helplessly

‘Yes, Se..hun, ple..ase..wear that..’

Frowning irately at Tao’s laughter, Sehun looked closely at the garment in his hand

‘Oh.’

The spangles of lace rolled over the shiny slippery material, where here and there, there were ‘artistically’ placed flowers in a garish pattern

A negligee

 

‘Shuddup!’ growling now, Sehun jabbed the frippery thing onto the nearest hanger, and walked deeper into the store, warily picking his steps to avoid the chintzy little tables and stools that littered the floor

 

Finally, he managed to find the tiny little alcove that held pullovers and scarves, and ignoring the bright pink one that Tao kept waving insinuatingly in front of his face, he picked out a charcoal grey jumper ( it was fine, he could just wear it inside out, to hide the yellow flowers threading through the front) and turned angrily to Tao

‘Here! Now can I leave?’

 

Tao held his eyes with his own, and a little smile broke out over his lips..

Teasing..

As Sehun watched, helpless to tear his eyes off, a little bit of bright red tongue slid out and traced the impossibly sharp angles of that lip..

 

Dammit

The catch in his breath sounded ridiculously loud in the enclosed space, and the broad grin that broke over Tao’s face was utterly irritating

 

That was the only reason his cheeks were getting so hot, really, he was angry dammit

_Furious_

 

Somewhere inside him, a little voice noted that now he understood Tao’s reaction everytime  _he_ did that – but Sehun angrily shushed the thought, and moved forward to shove the sweater into Tao’s chest

‘ _Here!!_ I picked something, ok!!’

 

Without breaking his gaze, Tao lifted his voice to call back over his shoulder –

‘Ma’am, is this the trial room, over by the roses?’

 

‘Yes dearie..The light switch is just outside, can you get it..’

 

‘yes, yes, its not a problem, please don’t trouble yourself!’

 

Reaching past the pullover, to wind his long fingers around Sehun’s wrist, ( _oh how he hated that his pulse jumped at the touch!_ )Tao tugged him over to the changing room, shutting and locking the door behind them

The space was stifling – there was barely room for  _one_  person

And Tao was so tall and broad and just…

The way he was towering over Sehun somehow had him almost forget all about the events that had occurred earlier

_Almost, but not quite_

 

‘Let me go, Tao.’

In reply, Tao only placed both palms on either side of his head, but leaving room between their bodies - pinning him in place with just the strength of his presence

Holding his gaze unwaveringly, he bent down

Slowly

 

Teasingly

 

His breath tracing over Sehun’s forehead.. dancing over his lashes

Mingling with his own

 

_Say STOP!! Say it!!! Spit it out!! SAY IT!!!_

But no matter how he tried to bring the words out, he just couldn’t

his blood was pounding now for totally different reasons, as Tao's distinctive smell coiled hypnotically around him, even over the musty rose scent that filled the store

 

The little smirk butterflying over Tao’s lips told him that he was perfectly aware of the battle going on inside of Sehun – and he was doing this on purpose – stretching it out, giving him more than ample time to stop him if he wanted to

 

It was that little smirk that did him in, in the end, that pushed him over the edge, and with a growl, he shoved his fingers into Tao’s hair, clenching them into the strands, and violently, aggressively, pulled him down the last millimetre, claiming his lips with his own

 

Biting and sucking, Sehun poured all of his anger and hurt into that kiss

 

In the mirrors in which they were reflected a million times, he could see Tao’s hands wind around him

Moulding over the small of his back

Caressing the nape of his neck

 

Groaning, he squeezed his eyes shut and turned into that warmth he still needed so bad

 

That he would always need

For once, Tao let him do whatever he wanted..

Accepting everything and anything Sehun could throw at him

Totally passive

 

Stroking him comfortingly as Sehun’s tongue ravaged through his mouth

 

 

 

Finally, they broke apart, panting, completely out of breath

 

Tao reached down to gently place a kiss right on Sehun’s forehead, before straightening up

 

‘So, are you calmed down enough to tell me what this was all about?’

‘What do you mean, ‘what this was all about??!!’ I saw you kiss her!!!! You  _kissed_ her Tao!!’

Sehun’s voice rose as the pain poured into him again

Tao chuckled

‘On the  _cheek_ Hun-ah, and it was just a ‘thank you’ kiss! Its no big deal!’

‘ _Thank You?_ ’

‘Hmm! I explained everything to her, and she agreed not to say anything, so…

Honestly, even though I made sure to act like it was nothing at all

You were supposed to stay at home and drink the cocoa, and get into bed all warm and cozy and sleep and leave this to me to handle!!!’

 

 

 

‘ _‘Everything’_?’

They were walking arm in arm through the street, Tao having refused to answer anything further till they’d bought Sehun the sweater (plus two mufflers, and a thankfully dark patterned pair of leg warmers) and made sure he was swathed in the whole ensemble.

‘Hmm.’

‘What’s  _everything_?’

‘Oh.. ya know.. that I really really like you and we’re going out and how people might not take it well if they knew, and it would break my heart if something were to come between us…ya know…everything…’

Tao walked on, leaving the gaping Sehun behind

 

He was actually halfway down the road before Sehun closed his mouth with a loud click, and ran behind him, still feeling like he’d been punched in the stomach

 

_Going out?! He’d actually gone and told someone they were…_

Grinning fit to burst, Sehun slid his arm through Tao’s, staring resolutely at their feet, and willing himself not to squeal

 

‘You idiot!! I told you to say it was a dare, or something.. you could’ve easily made some excuse!!’

Tao laughed ‘She’s pretty smart, theres no way she’d have fallen for something like that! Besides…

Now that its come to this..

I kinda..’

A sudden silence fell between them

‘Kinda What?’

‘Kinda..err..

…..

wanted to tell someone… ‘

‘Huh?’

 

Tao clicked his tongue in frustration ‘I wanted to  _tell someone,_ okay??!!! I actually wanna shout it out to everyone, its  _so_ annoying that I can’t, but I really wanted to tell at least  _someone_ okay??!!’

 

‘Wh…’ Sehun cleared his throat, his voice shaky

‘Tell them what?’

‘That you’re  _mine!!_ that you belong to  _me_!!!’

The words burst out of Tao, and he stopped abruptly, blushing at his own accidental confession, and quickly tried to cover it up

‘Anyway, what sort of excuse could I have given?! If she saw us in school, it would’ve been perfectly clear I was kissing you coz I cant keep my hands off of you, not because of some stupid dare or whatev..’

His voice trailing off as he realised he was just digging his own pit deeper, Tao noisily cleared  _his_  throat, pulling his arm away from Sehun in embarrassment

 

‘well..

Anyway..

Anyway she understood, and she said she’d keep it a secret, so anyway, everythings fine, hehe. You just totally over reacted randomly on your own, you weirdo’

 

‘But Zitao!! Theres no way she’d just ‘understand’… that girl’s in love with you, you dumbhead!’

Sehun burst out, when he finally got his voice back

 

‘HUH??!! How did you know??!’

‘ _Huuuhh_! Coz its obvious!’

‘eeehhhh!! But.. _I_  had no idea..!!’

‘Humph..why am I not surprised..’

Tao playfully punched Sehun’s shoulder, then drew him closer in the same movement.

‘I was so shocked when she told me…’

‘She told you?’

‘Uh-huh! She said, ‘even if its like this, especially if its like this’, she wanted to ‘confess properly to me, once, and be turned down properly’, coz after all, she’s ‘been carrying these feelings around for years’’

‘eehhhh…’

‘Yeah! Apparently, after the initial shock, it was easier to know she’s losing me to a guy, she said it would’ve been worse if it were another girl….?’

‘Huh? How does that work?’

‘That’s exactly what I thought!!‘ Tao shook his head, ‘Lol, Girls, man, I have NO clue....’

Sehun laughed

‘You can say that again! Ha, I knew she was into you by the end of my first day here! I’m pretty sure you were the  _only_ one who was blind, hahaha, Mr Clueless!’

Tao leaned forward, cupping one hand before Sehun’s ear like he was whispering a secret

‘Well, I don’t  _need_ to know, now, do i..’

He slipped his tongue out, under cover of his hand, licked along the helix of Sehun’s ear…

before catching the lobe in his teeth, nipping it, far from gentle…

 

Gasping, Sehun pulled away, rubbing his ear roughly, his cheeks blazing

‘you are  _such_ an idiot!’

Sticking his tongue out at Tao, Sehun pulled ahead, determinedly keeping just out of Tao’s reach, as they wound their way back down the familiar path

Tao only chuckled knowingly, walking calmly behind him, not even making the slightest attempt to catch up –

And he was right, coz they hadn’t passed two blocks, when Sehun drifted back to his side, nonchalantly slipping his hand into Tao’s pocket, to join his own there, sticking his nose in the air, and ignoring Tao’s giggles

 

They somehow wound up stopping at the crest of the hill again, standing wrapped around each other…lost in the sheer pleasure of nothing more than the bliss of standing side by side, leaning against one another, sharing their body heat  
without the need to say a single word, the beauty of the night, and the love that was almost tangible in the air around them, encircling them in their magic

 

It must have been a good while later, that Tao stepped away, burying his face playfully in Sehun’s head, ruffling his hair with his breath

‘Well, anyway, everything’s fine!’

‘Yes, Thank goodness, right!!’

Sehun turned shining eyes up at him

Blushing and looking away, suddenly feeling rather shy, though it was totally inexplicable, Tao grunted ‘ Well, of course she had her doubts about you..obviously she doesn’t think you’re good enough to be with  _me_! ehehe’

 

‘Who is with you?’

 

‘Huh??!’

At Sehun’s serious voice, Tao turned towards him hurriedly – then grinned as he spotted the smile Sehun was trying really hard to force down

‘ _You_  are, of course’

He knocked his elbow against his

‘Oh am I now…’

‘Erm,  _yeah?!!’_

 _‘_ Though I don’t actually remember you asking me even once…’

Tao chuckled, and shrugged away

‘ _Oh really?_  Well, in that case, goodnight, Oh Sehun! Get home safely, alright’ casually throwing this behind him, he started walking,managing to get some way away, before - ‘Huang Zitaaaaooooo!!!!’

Somehow managing to sound petulant and authoratative all at once, Sehun barrelled down the slope to Tao, grabbing onto him with both hands, before headbutting him for good measure. Grumbling dire threats under his breath, he tugged Tao towards the direction of his house –

‘Take me home properly.’

 

‘Ohh?? Why should I- Ouch!! Alright, alright!’

Sehun smirked at him as Tao hopped about on one foot, clutching the other, which he had stepped on so heavily.

His smug expression had Tao grinning helplessly though –  _Aahh, really, this boy was just too cute!!!_

‘C’mere’ His voice was gruff, as he motioned towards Hunnie- who scuttled forward happily to tuck himself under his arm, and the boys set off again. 

 

 

They had barely taken two steps forward,though, when the wail of Tao’s ringtone cut through the frigid air

 


	11. Chapter Eleven

‘Okay, wow, what the hell, she really has the  _worst_ timing..’ Grumbling, Tao pulled out his phone, snapping it open in annoyance, while tightening his grip over Sehun’s shoulders, preventing him from moving away like he’d been about to

‘Yeah, Mom, I’ll be home in like, 15 mins…’  
‘Hmm’  
‘No!! I’m with Sehun..’  
‘Yeah’  
‘Yeah’  
‘Coz he’s staying  _alone_ , I – ‘  
Sehun, who’d only vaguely been paying attention, his thoughts on how oddly nice it felt that Tao’s family knew about him (at least his name) so familiarly, gasped and quickly punched Tao’s arm as hard as he could  
‘Huh!!’  
Holding the phone slightly away, Tao turned a bewildered glance at him  
‘You  _idiot_!’ Sehun hissed, whispering at top speed ‘She doesn’t know I’m living alone!!’  
‘Oh yeah..’  
Tao quickly shoved the phone against his ear again  
‘Coz his parents have gone home to Korea for a visit...’  
‘yeah’  
‘Errr..yeah, no, no, since it’s just for..er…’  
‘Three days’ Sehun helpfully prompted from the side, where he’d resolutely been eavesdropping now, determined not to let the idiot slip up again  
‘Three days’  
‘Hmm… I guess..’  
‘ _YEAH!!_ That sounds good, Mom!! Thanks!! I’ll ask him!!’

Tao held the phone away, and turned to Sehun, a broad grin on his face  
‘What?’ Sehun’s voice was filled with the suspicion he felt at the expression Tao was making  
‘Never mind’ Tao turned back to the phone ‘Yeah, Mom, he says ‘Yes’, he’s super happy, thank you!!’  
‘Yeah, 15 mins, k, See ya!!’

‘Mind filling me in, Zitao??’

Sehun tugged furiously at Tao’s sleeve as he hung up  
‘Oh, nothing much, you’re just coming home with me for dinner…seeing as how you’re all alone, you poor thing, Mom’s worried, haha’  
‘ _What??!!’_  
In dismay, Sehun glanced over himself, taking a mental inventory, as Tao turned them around and started walking in the opposite direction  
Tao’s beanie over his head, two mufflers in awfully clashing shades of yellow and pink, the charcoal sweater he was wearing inside out, shorts, leg warmers and his fluffy bedroom slippers, soggy and dirty now

Oh, and his hair….

Yeah

He dug his heels in, literally, coming to a sudden standstill

‘Hunnie?’  
‘No way.’  
‘Huh?!’  
‘Theres no way I’m going to your home to dinner with your parents looking like this!!’  
‘Eehhh..’ Tao stopped too, and turned around to face Sehun properly, before looking him over, from top to bottom, his eyes travelling slower and slower as they ventured lower, his tongue slowly protruding out from between his lips to circle them purposefully….  
‘ _ZITAO!’_  
Tao just grinned at him  
‘Well… I mean, sure you look like a candy store explosion…’  
His grin widening as he suggestively ran his tongue over his teeth  
‘Good enough to eat..’

Blushing , Sehun kicked his shin  
‘That’s a seriously terrible amount of cheesiness, and I’m going home’

‘aahh!!’ Tao blew a puff of exasperation ‘it’s fine, they won’t mind  
They don’t really care about this sort of stuff. C’mon’  
Dismissing his objections in an offhanded manner, he turned back, and started walking again  
‘ _Huang Zitao!!_ Of course its not fine!! I can’t go to your house like this, they’ll think I’m crazy!!’  
‘Se—hu—nn ! Why are you making such fuss about it, they really wont care,  _c’mon_!’

‘Because.. ..

 _Because_ …’

Blushing furiously now, Sehun dug his chin into his chest, refusing to look at Tao

‘Well, just because, ok!’

 _Honestly, Tao was so dense sometimes… How could he not get something so simple, he just wanted to make a  good impression on his parents.. he_ obviously  _wanted them to think well of him.._

Sehun turned around, his back to Tao. ‘I’m going home. Good night’  
Bursting into a run, feeling strangely upset over nothing at all really..  
 _It wasn’t like he particularly wanted Tao to understand him or anything_  
 _to_ get _his unspoken words_

That’s right, he hadn’t even said it, why did he feel so  _misunderstood…_

 _No, scratch that, He DIDN’T_  
 _He totally did_ not  _feel anything stupid like that_

 _And it wasn’t like he particularly_ wanted  _to go his house or meet his family or anything_  
 _He totally was_ not  _disappointed, or anything like that_

 

His steps resounded through the night as he ran without looking back

 

 

Panting slightly in the chill, Sehun slowed down as he turned into his street.  
‘Ah!! This is so annoying!!’ He kicked the ground uselessly, frustrated and frustrated at his frustration

‘That’s my line, though’

Sehun yelped in shock, jumping at least a foot in the air, one hand clutching his chest in reflex

‘ _TAO??!!’_

 _‘_ uhhmm.. yeah?’ Tao glanced over at him, from where he was walking beside him, both arms crossed behind his head, sauntering casually

‘ _wha- where did you come from??!!!’_

 _‘_ Huh?? I was right behind you??’ Tao jerked his thumb in the direction they had come from, then grumbled something as he rubbed his forehead. ‘Why’d you stop, keep running!!’  
‘ _Huhhh??!!’_  
‘We have about 8 mins left to get you changed,   _and_ get to my house, get your pace up!’  
Grinning,  feeling suddenly so much lighter, Sehun purposely slowed down even further, dragging his feet as loud as he could  
‘what do you mean,  _we..’_

 

‘Zitao!! Seriously, I’m perfectly capable of  _changing_ by myself!!’ Sehun shoved against Tao, 2 mins later, as Tao determinedly wrenched his shirt over his head  
‘Hmm-mm’ Not paying attention, Tao turned away to pull out a checked button down shirt from Sehun’s closet. Muttering to himself, (‘he can’t  _possibly_ complain  _now_!’ )  he spun around, moving towards Sehun, with the respectable replacement held aloft --  before abruptly freezing in place.

Sehun was glaring at him, his hands fisted adorably at his sides  
His hair carnival-ling, tossing down glinting little strands to graze against those beautiful features  
Those devastatingly sexy lips pursed up at him…

And further down…

it felt like the breath had been knocked out of him.

_Though he ought to be used to this by now_

_Those spectacular collarbones, dipped and curved over by that milky white skin, just calling out to him to curl his tongue around their hollows.._

One hand still outstretched, he swallowed audibly, the colour rising in his cheeks

_Those soft pink nipples…_

Hurriedly, he turned away, his hand rising to cover his trembling lips  
‘Er..’ He cleared his throat, his mouth suddenly feeling really dry

‘Tao?’

_Ohh that was it!! There were shivers running down his back just at the sound of that voice.._   
_even without looking, he could sense Sehun licking his lips in concern…_

Willing himself not to, and failing, fighting himself at every point,( _honestly this was really embarrassing)_  but inevitably, unable to resist, Tao glanced back at him  
and groaned.

  _he knew it!!_

Tao strode forward, the shirt gripped in his hand forgotten, to drop to the ground in a graceful flutter moments before the harder thuds of the two boys hitting the floor echoed against the wood…  
Sehun squealed as Tao shoved himself between his knees, pining his wrists down forcefully, before reaching down to squelch his mouth against his  
Determinedly..  
Underneath him, Sehun wriggled in protest, trying to say something, but his words scattered as Tao grasped the opportunity to catch that delectably offending tongue between his teeth, nipping it, his palms moving to trace over Hunnie’s  sides, before coming to lie  flat against his stomach..  
Stoking gently.. grazing in circles over his abdomen..  
Erotically contrasting with the sharp little nips he was marking on his tongue…  
Panting now, Sehun breathed out heavily, the air flashing warm into Tao face, and he bit down even harder, making him scream… incoherent syllables rushing out of him, and his back and neck arching…

Sucking that long tongue as far into his mouth as possible, Tao started suckling, the wet sounds echoing through the room, matching Sehun’ s rising pants and huffs  
He moved his hands up, to his chest..  
Laying his rough palms against Sehun’s nipples, which puckering under him, Tao kept suggestively sucking on Sehun’s tongue..  
Under his fingers, he could feel trickles of sweat start to run down Sehun’s chest, and he couldn’t resist,  quickly moving down, to catch a salty drop on the tip of his tongue just above Sehun’s belly button  
‘ _Ta-Ta-ao’_  
Sehun’s breath hitched as Tao shadowed the path of that drop of sweat with his tongue up over his ribs… to his chest….  
‘ _Tao’_ Sehun wheezed, pushing him away with both hands ‘Wa—We ha…ve to go.. your mom..’

‘mmnnfphh’   
Tao paused finally, then shoved his whole face into the middle of Sehun’s chest, going totally still for a moment, mumbling in annoyance against his skin

_Dammit, he was supposed to be the one who was in control, and…_

_He had established that so firmly, confirmed that the upper hand was his.. and now, just moments later…_

_Dammit!!_

_To completely lose it like that…._

Sehun drew a deep breath, the haze starting to fade from his eyes and the blood pounding in his head slowly quieting…  
And another… puffing the air out…  
 watching Tao’s head rise and fall along with his breathing….  
And his ears that were turning redder and redder by the second

‘Pfft..hehe’ An involuntary giggle burst out of him

‘Shuddup’ Tao growled, still not moving, his face hidden in Sehun’s chest

‘Sorry…sorry..just…bwahahahahaha!’  
Helpless, he tried to cover up his laughter with one hand, and stroked Tao’s hair gently with the other  
‘C’mon, get up, you were the one who was counting the minutes in the first place’

Tao grunted  
Then drew a deep breath himself and stood up, and, keeping his head turned away, he bent down to pick up the shirt he had dropped earlier, to chuck it over Sehun’s head  
‘Ge-‘ His voice coming out higher than normal, he quickly stopped, hurriedly rubbing his mouth, and clearing his throat before starting again  
‘Get dressed thhen’

Still not turning his face to Sehun’s he hastened away

Stuffing one fist into his mouth in vain, trying to smother the snorts that still rippled past his fingers at the sound of the tap turning on in the bathroom, and the vigorous gushing and splashing of water, Sehun quickly buttoned up the shirt one handed, and by the time Tao reappeared, rivulets of water dripping off his chin, he was waiting innocently by the door, dressed and ready  
‘Let’s go?’  
‘Umm’ Tao growled in reply, and they set out

 

 

‘Stop looking so full of yourself!’  
Tao growled through gritted teeth 4 minutes later, as they walked through the freezing night, and Sehun still hadn’t stopped grinning into his muffler  
‘Eh?’ He turned to face him, innocent eyes wide open up at Tao  
‘Full of myself..? Hmm..  _why_  would I be..’  
Biting his lip to stop the swelling laughter, at the sight of Tao’s postbox red ears, and scowling face, Sehun stretched luxuriously, making sure Tao’s eyes followed the expanse of abdomen that showed when his shirt pulled up  
‘Aaa-aah’ Sighing theatrically, he slowly lowered his hands to cross them behind his back  
‘Really, I have no _reason_  to be..right…’  
Fully aware he was being played with, but unable to resist, Tao’s eyes  fixed at the ‘V’ of skin that still showed at the bottom of his shirt where the buttons gaped with his action, and he groaned low in his throat, before rubbing his face with both hands, mumbling ‘I give up!’  
Giggling, Sehun raised himself on his toes to nudge Tao’s shoulder with his own, feigning ignorance  
‘Give up? What are you giving up?’  
The next moment, with a startled cry,  he slipped and stumbled against Tao– his movement had placed him squarely in a patch of ice, with only his toetips holding him up  
Without missing a beat, Tao reflexively tugged him towards himself, bracing his body with his own

But that laid Sehun right against him.. the full length of his body pressing against painfully against Tao’s…  
For a moment, both the boys froze..staring at each other..  
The grin fading from Sehun’s face, as his lips parted, and as if on cue, that tongue poking out to lick them…  
Tao’s fingers tightening over Sehun’s waist

 

‘Ah, little boy, are you alright? It’s slippery right here, you need to be careful!’

 

In alarm, Tao and Sehun leapt apart, blushing fiery, and turned to the old man who ran the convenience store they had been passing  
‘Yes, yes, thank you’ stumbling over their words, they bowed multiple times, avoiding eye contact with the proprietor, who had stopped in the middle of locking the pull down shutters, his bright pink ear muffs fluffing in the breeze  
‘Ah!! Little boy, your hair is very pretty!’ he grinned a toothless smile at Sehun  
‘Eeeh?’  
‘So pretty! How wonderful!! Like those swirly ice creams!!’  
Beside him Tao chortled, and Sehun quickly stepped on his foot  
‘Thank you, thank you, er.. goodnight!’  
Flustered, the words mixing up with themselves, he quickly bowed again, and hurriedly started walking on

‘Hunnie! Wait!’ Tao called out, and Sehun did, but started walking again just when Tao reached him - the charged moment that had gripped them leaving in its place a blanket of awkward shyness, now that they were alone, and they walked the last couple of blocks keeping a 2 feet distance between them, in silence but for the crunching of the snow under their feet

Finally, Tao came to a stop outside a big cream coloured building

‘We’re here!’

He turned to grin at Sehun, before laying one mittened hand on the swinging gate, then stopped abruptly, and looked down –  
To where Sehun was tugging at his parka with two fingers  
Glancing up at Sehun’s face, Tao gasped – Sehun was staring at him looking exactly like a little lost doe -  eyes all  wide and round, and lips parted, swallowing visibly…  
 _Aahh, dammit, something must be really wrong with him, he had NO defences against this kid tonight!!_

_But.._

_But Sehun’s anxious expression was so incredibly cute!!!_

Clearing his throat, Tao reached over to pat his head  
‘Whats wrong?’  
‘You live here??!’  
‘Hmm’  
‘This is your house??’  
‘Yeah’ he grinned reassuringly ‘C’mon!’

‘Wait!!! Tao!!’

‘Wh-a-at~’

‘I..  
I’m not mentally prepared, ok..’

‘what are you going on about..  _again,_ we got you changed and everything, so lets go!!’

‘Its not that..I….  
What if they don’t like me??’

‘Huh?’

‘ _What if they hate me_?? What if I do something really stupid and – ‘

His words cut off abruptly and he gasped in shock, as Tao’s lips closed over his, stealing his words

 

His mind whirled completely out of control now – they were right at his gate,  _right_ outside his house and..Tao had…

He stared blankly at him in shock as Tao broke away, and slid one arm around his waist

 

_How could he have.. just…._

 

‘My parents are not that stupid, no one with any brains at all can do less than totally  _adore_ you’  
Squeezing him close, Tao pulled him down the driveway, chuckling as the furiously blushing boy punched his side, muttering ‘Stupid Tao’ repeatedly under his breath  
‘Not to mention, it actually wouldn’t matter what they think, in the end, I’m crazy about you no matter what, ne..’

‘ _TAO!’_  
Sehun gasped, actually freezing in place, turning even more crimson than he had ever done,  then quickly running to catch up to Tao, hissing ‘How can you just say things like that!’  
And  
‘Zitao has no shame!!!’In angry tones…But quietly pulling Tao’s arm around himself again, and cuddling into him

Holding onto him as they climbed the stairs, Tao only let go as he stepped forward to ring the bell  
‘Besides, don’t worry, I’ve told them so much about you, they already love you’

‘Whaaa??! What did you say??!!’

‘Oh.. just… _stuff._.’  
Tao grinned wickedly over his shoulder at Sehun as the door opened

 

 

An hour later, Sehun realised Tao had been more than right – he had had no reason to worry at all  
Tao’s mom had opened the door with a beautiful smile, and hugged him in welcome, thanking him for always taking care of Tao, and hoping he’d like the dinner she’d made, and was he alright with meat, and how about fish, did he have any dislikes.. all the while ushering him in, and musing Tao’s hair making him go ‘Mo-o-om’ while trying to get away

Stepping into his house for the first time… Sehun had felt the butterflies in his stomach go crazy – this was Tao’s family, this was his home..  
This was where he’d grown up… where he spent every day, were he lived and laughed and cried…  
This was a side of Tao he had never seen before..and…  
And now, even if only for a little while, he would be able to be part of it all

His eyes had greedily drunk up every detail of the rooms, while simultaneously watching Tao and his mom…Avidly keeping his eyes on her teasing Tao, and Tao’s whining replies,  Sehun had felt close to tears – it was so clear how loved his Tao was! Somehow it made him feel happier than just about anything, completely washing away his nervousness and fear… and when she turned to ask him if theyd like to start dinner right away, he had beamed ‘yes’,  his heart bursting with love for this woman, so stylish and smart, radiating confidence and competence, yet warm and loving and caring, who was smiling at him so kindly with her mouth exactly like Tao’s

They had collected Tao’s dad halfway through the living room, where he had been reading the newspaper in a giant armchair, nursing a crystal cut glass of beer, and he’d welcomed Sehun no less warmly, shaking his hand and making small talk about the latest government scandal, and asking his opinion about the recent soccer matches

As the meal started though, the talk turned to school, with Tao relating (with frequent denials and interruptions from Sehun) how even D.O Laoshi had seemed smitten with Sehun’s hair – not to mention Mr. Shopkeeper…  Tao’s parents laughed at them, and especially at Sehun’s desperate attempts to make Tao shut up, both of them claiming they loved the bright colours.. Tao’s mom even saying how it suited him, making him look like a little fairy – at which, Tao, catching his eye from across the table mouthed – ‘Thats what  _I_ think!’ making Sehun blush and sink into his seat in shyness…

Luckily this was covered by Tao’s dad jokingly saying ‘maybe I should try it too then’ teasing his mom, making her groan theatrically, and him countering with the story about how she had once gone on a spinach-only diet because her then favourite teacher had fanatically advocated the benefits of leafy vegetables

this led to Tao’s Mom telling them about the time his dad had decided he wanted a Mohawk and tattoos to impress her with, and how he’d shown up to take her out one day, in a leather jacket and leopard print, making both boys fall about the table in helpless laughter – looking at the cutely chubby, kind little man at the head of the table, who was laughing along with them, Sehun couldn’t imagine it one bit!

 

 

One by one, the most delicious dishes replaced each other, a quaintly delectable mixture of Chinese and Western foods being served onto beautiful, delicately patterned china that matched the gently carved candlesticks adorning the wooden table, and the crocheted place settings in the elegantly appointed European style dining room. It was while they were on the 3rd  course, though, that Sehun noticed the lady serving them kept trying to catch his eye, beaming widely and piling on his plate ignoring all his gestures that he had had enough

As he watched her going around the table to serve Tao, though, and the way she picked out the best fillets of fish for him, it struck him – ‘Ah! Yuki Nainai!!’

Startled, everyone looked at him – but as he blushed, and stammered, she blushed harder, and Tao’s parents laughed – making him laugh too – ‘Ah! Its just.. I’ve heard from Tao..’

‘Eeehhh!’

As she bustled about serving the last plates,, looking pleased as punch that her ‘chiancheng’ had spoken of her to his friend,  Tao’s mom grinned at him – ‘Yes, she’s been with us ever since he was a baby, she’s really an important member of the family.. and Tao-er’s favourite!!’ smiling at the elder woman now, who was blushing and waving her hands about her face in denial

‘Umm! Tao told me!! He always talks about Yuki Nainai’s cooking, and how she takes care – ‘

Hiding her face in embarrassment, but still looking extremely happy, Yuki nainai bowed furiously, and walked out in a fast trot, making them all burst into laughter again -

Of course, this was nothing compared to the hoots and howls sounding through the dining room during the next course, when the biggest cutlets of veal was plated neatly in front of Sehun, and Tao pouted, crying out ‘ but  _I_ was the one who  _told_ him!’ while sulkily reaching for the serving platter with the gongkuai[1]  himself, determined to get the good pieces before they all went to Sehun.

Finally, holding her sides, Tao’s mom managed to wheeze – ‘TAO! You’re being rude.. Se..hun’s..our..guest..’ ‘What guest, he’s basically like, part of my family anyway’ Tao spoke in a totally off hand manner, his attention focused solely on helping himself to the meat

The next second, he yelped, dropping the chopsticks

‘What??!’’What happened?’ startled, everyone turned towards him, and Tao just grinned sheepishly ‘I…I  burnt my hand’

‘Good! Thats what you get for grave-digging[2]!’

The subject was dropped after that, but once everyone’s attention was away, Tao looked up to glare over at Sehun

Who only gave him a ‘you deserved it’ scowl , at which Tao just frowned bewildered.

 _‘Great! the idiot didn’t even realise what he’d said!! I should have kicked him harder!!’_ thinking to himself, Sehun kept his face turned down to his plate for the remainder of the course,  sure that his cheeks  must be red enough to raise questions

But soon, he was joining in the conversation whole heartedly again, as more and more stories and anecdotes were told, and before he knew it, the last course of blueberry cheesecake with candied strawberries had been served, and Yuki Nainai had come in one last time with a carafe of coffee, which she placed carefully on the sideboard, then turned to wish them goodnight, saying she was leaving

‘Ah! Yes, thank you! Its fine, I’ll load the dishwasher myself’ Tao’s mom reassured her, and they all wished her goodnight

‘Er.. Yuki Nainai!’

‘Ehh?’

She turned around just as she was about to step out the door, taken aback at Sehun’s determined voice and expression

‘Er.. that is.. Thank you!’ His words were heartfelt and sincere, accompanied by a little jerk of the head, making her blush, and bow once more to him, giggling, happy and embarrassed,  before hurriedly fleeing out the door.

‘Eeeeeehhh, that veal must have been really nice!! I wish I could’ve had it~~’ Tao pouted sounding seriously upset, making everyone laugh again,  while Sehun stuck his tongue out at him ‘That’s not it!’

But as everyone teased Tao, and his mom placed yet another slice of cheesecake on his plate, Sehun just laughed along though

_He couldn’t explain it anyway.._

_Just.._

_The way she had of looking at Tao like he was so precious.._

_He could easily tell he was her little pet.._

_That was what he had wanted to thank her for..for taking care of him like that…_

 

‘Xiao-er, get out the futon from the cupboard in the second guest room, ok? And you use it, give Sehun the bed’  
Tao’s mom’s voice cut through his thoughts and Sehun looked up, confused  
‘Huh? Wait..what?’  
‘Ah, don’t worry sweety, this fellow can easily use the futon, you take the bed, alright!’  
She smiled at him  
‘No, no! that is – I’m going home, I mean…’  
‘Nonsense!’ She cut him off peremptorily ‘Its already 11 o’ clock, You can’t walk all the way home now!’  
‘But..’  
‘Its fine isn’t it?? Its better than having to spend the night alone as well!’  
‘No, I can’t – I mean, thank you, really, but.. I don’t have any clothes..and..’  
‘Tao has plenty!’ Leaving no more space for argument, she turned back to Tao giving him orders about  airing out the futon, first, and ‘Give Sehun some clothes’ all of which Tao agreed fervently  to, looking like Christmas had come early, making Sehun, who had turned to him for support, full of guilt at deceiving her about his living conditions; and absolutely unwilling to impose further, draw a long sigh, and decide to give up the losing battle

 

‘Hunnie! Is this ok?’  
Tao waved an oversized Tee shirt in front of Sehun’s face, as he sat on the floor in Tao’s room, game controller in hand  
‘Umm! That’s fine…just gimme some shorts or something with it’  
‘……..’  
‘Huh?’  
‘Naa… I think even a T is too much~~ ‘  
‘Idiot!’ Sehun threw the cushion beside him at Tao, who knocked it away easily, laughing, and came and sat down next to him, picking up the other controller  
Sehun immediately leaned against him, and Tao draped one long leg over his  
‘Alright, lets do this, are you ready to get your ass kicked, Oh Sehun-ah?’  
‘Ha!! The one whose gonna be crying in the end is YOU!’ Wriggling his whole body in preparation, and stretching his fingers out in front, Sehun grinned in challenge at Tao

 

 

15 mins later, Tao had to admit the boy was good – really good.  
As the last soldier from his best battalion bit the dust, and Sehun hooted, pumping his fist in the air, he cringed  
 _Ah well.. there was more than one way to win a game, right_

Slowly, careful not to look at Sehun directly, he slung one arm around his shoulder – bad move for his base, which took yet another grenade – his one handed reflexes were not enough to block in time – but hey, you can’t make omelettes without breaking some eggs right  
Making sure he was still not paying attention, Tao slowly stroked down Sehun’s side, clenching his leg tighter over his lap

Gradually closing every last bit of space between them, he pushed his face closer and closer, till his breath was making the short yellow strands just above Sehun’s ear float to and fro

‘Ah! Good one!’

‘Oy!! What was that!’

‘Hehehe, die!’

After that, for the next few rounds, he growled exclamations right into Sehun’s ear, in sexy low tones – the lust dripping from his voice, of course, was incidental – Operation Win the Game At All Costs didn’t leave the mastermind unscathed

Gradually, Sehun’s movements got slower and slower, the fingers that had been pushing the controls at lightning speed now coming in a beat too late..  
And then two..

By the time Tao had managed to place himself directly behind him, both legs outstretched on either side, so Sehun was effectively sitting between them (his back to Tao), with one hand gently stroking meaningless little designs over the small of his back, Sehun had lost three squadrons, and a battleship  
‘Tough Luck!’ Tao leant forward, just breathing over Sehun’s nape for a moment, before whispering the words, so close, his lips grazed against his ear  
From his vantage point Tao could clearly see the trickle of sweat that appeared then at Sehun’s hairline, and slowly started coursing down his neck. Remembering that moment earlier that night, he didn’t hold back – he just had to tilt his head the slightest bit, after all, and he’d caught the salty drop in the tip of his tongue  
As Sehun arched reflexively against him, he licked upwards along its track, then started suckling and worrying at the milky rich, unimaginably soft skin of Sehun’s neck, his teeth bared for just that tang of pain that he knew got his boy going  
As Tao little by little, moved downwards, dipping his tongue into the hollow behind his clavicle, one hand rising to start unbuttoning his shirt, Sehun moaned low in his throat, panting a bit, and dropping his controller, placed both hands on Tao’s thighs, leaning back and twisting his neck to catch Tao’s lips, running his tongue over them a couple of times, before slowly sliding it in  
Thrusting his left hand into Sehun’s hair, and clutching painfully tight, Tao pulled his head into a sharper angle, opening his mouth wider, to twine his own tongue around his  
Gasps and wet noises punctured the air, starting to rise even louder than the monotonous drone of the background music emanating from the game  
Sehun twisted, trying to turn to face him, but Tao wrapped his free arm around him and pinned him in place, growling without breaking their kiss, before shoving his hand under Sehun’s shirt, bunching it up as he pushed his fingers to his nipples, rubbing and rolling them between his fingertips.. gradually going harder and harder..  
 _Pinching_..

‘Ah..MnffTa..ao…Ah..ah’  
Gasping …panting, Sehun rubbed his palms over Tao’s thighs, kneading and squeezing, desperately reaching higher till they grazed his half hard erection. Curling his hand over it through his clothes, Sehun rubbed the fabric against Tao’s heavy cock, frantically, the heat rising through it transmitted through to his fingers, as it swelled under his ministrations, making him moan in desire, his voice painfully threading out Tao’s name

  
Straining to hold himself in check, Tao totally lost it then – Sehun’s lust filled voice choking out his name was more than he could handle, the heat radiating from the lithe body writhing in his arms, helplessly squirming in desire against him, their sweat wet clothes slopping together.. the feel of Sehun’s nipples puckering impossibly big under his fingers, and his hands on his already over sensitive dick, chaffing the cloth tight against him, rubbing him…  
groaning, Tao thrust his hand downwards along Sehun’s abdomen, slipping into his waistband, and gripping his cock in one strong movement  
The few little strands of hair at its base caught on his nails, and he clenched his hand tighter, while starting to frenetically jerk him off, making Sehun gasp, his throat convulsing wordlessly. Tao reached down now with his other hand, to rub the tip, making smooth repetitive circles against the slippery glistening surface,  while furiously working up and down the shaft with the other

  
Over and over…

Breaking their kiss, Tao purposefully lapped up the thick dribbles of spit that were  trickling past Sehun’s mouth, as he bucked against his inexorable hands, moaning, his eyes half closed, his neck arched over Tao’s shoulder  
‘uhnn..ah..Ah..Mmmnn..aaahhh..’

As Tao’s powerful hands flexed and tugged and pulled up and down his shaft, Sehun could feel pools of heat pushing through his hips..

 He felt so wet.. so wet and loose,like he was melting…

Despite his own hardness that he could feel pounding in Tao’s hands, synchronizing with the blood roaring through his ears..  
This hot, wet..empty.. feeling..like his lower body had been turned into water…  
Involuntarily, he squeezed his buttocks together, his anus gasping open and closed like the mouth of a fish

Tao chuckled throatily right in his ear ‘Impatient, aren’t we’

‘Shu-Uhh.. mmf.. shut..ah..’

The spirals of pleasure running through him resonated with his unquenched desire.. he didn’t even know what he had been saying or trying to say…

His attention, his mind was overrun with the sensations Tao was printing over his flesh..

The slight hitch in Tao’s breathing, even though he was trying to act totally in command and unaffected, sounded in his ear, filled him with an oddly strong sense of satisfaction, that only accentuated his desperately rising need

The sweat running in rivulets down his spine, he bucked urgently backwards, pushing his butt against Tao, his hands, which had been helplessly weakened and stilled, starting to move again, scrabbling against Tao’s thighs to his cock, in rhythm with Tao’s own actions around  _his_ dick

Abruptly thrusting his tongue right into his ear, sending the squelching sound right into his head, making him cry out again, Tao pulled off his hand that had been tracing against the tip of Sehun’s cock  
Glistening with dripping precum…and sweat?..he raised the hand to Sehun’s face, holding out two fingers

His other hand pumping up and down, harder and faster now, over Sehun’s cock, moving every now and then to massage against his balls..

‘Unngff..Ah…Tao..Un..No-oh..Ahh’

He bit his lip, squeezing his mouth closed as Tao waved his index and middle fingers insistently in front of him.  
He knew what he wanted him to do..  
But he  _coudnt_  
Not…

‘AHHHaannh’

Tao gripped his cock tight, clenching his fingers in a vice like grip, that had his already engorged and throbbing dick send lightning bolts of pain through his body, his vision flashing red for a moment..

But in the aftermath of the pain, the edge of pleasure that rose in him had him trembling, shaking visibly, as Tao thrust his tongue again and again into his ear, swirling around the loops outside, then plunging in, the wet squishy feeling enveloping his brain

He leaned forward..hesitantly… pushing out his tongue to touch the tips of Tao’s fingers.. tentative..

Then started lapping at them

He had been right..  
He could taste himself..his own taste.. the sour tang felt disgustingly bitter against his tongue.. sticky..  
Thick and soggy…

But about him, Tao was frozen.. watching him.. even with his eyes mostly closed, Sehun could feel his breathless gaze on him…  
even Tao’s hand on his dick had gone still…  
through his lashes, he could see the sheer hunger with which Tao was looking at him  
Somehow, this felt more erotic than anything, and wanting more,  _needing_ more, he suddenly lunged forward, almost ravenously closing his mouth all around Tao’s fingers, sucking on them..

Tao followed his motion, plunging his fingers deeper into his throat, while starting to jerk him off again..  
shoving them against the back of his throat

‘Uuggnf’

Sehun felt his gag reflex hit and swallowed convulsively, forcing it down, trying to move away – but Tao only forced his fingers in deeper, inexorably, thrusting in and out into Sehun’s mouth, in unison with his hand that was frenetically pounding on his cock…

He could feel his bile rising and he kept forcing it down, trying to shove Tao away, but it was totally useless.. his fingers pushed harder and harder…  
A third joining the two that were already in his mouth..

He couldn’t breathe..

It was painful now.. painful…yet..

Tears starting to stream down his face, Sehun strained forward, sucking greedily, wanting more…

As Tao teasingly licked along his ear, he felt like he was really  _really_  melting, pools of hot liquid spilling through his body..

He couldn’t take it..any..more…

‘Ta-uhh Ah..nn…Tao…unn..’  
He couldn’t get the words out, Tao didn’t even pause thrusting his with his fingers

_Ah dammit_

So it was a shock when Tao popped his fingers out, the suction-like sound sounding extra loud as the game music paused before starting to loop again

‘uhh..Ta..ao..?’ His voice weak, Sehun turned to look fully at him, a powerful emptiness ramming through him

But Tao didn’t give him enough time for the feeling to coalesce – taking his hand off his dick, he pushed Sehun’s pants down, to midway above his knees, and slid around to grope his ass  
‘Li..lift up’ Tao’s voice was ragged and broken, and it send shivers up and down Sehun’s spine – he’d felt he couldn’t possibly be more aroused than he was already, but this…  
Without thinking, without being  _able_ to think, he raised his butt a little in the air – a little was all he got, before Tao thrust two fingers, wet and dripping with his own saliva, into his anus.

He had been so aroused, his entrance already soft and ready.. hot and wet.. yet, Tao’s fingers deep inside him, filling him so completely sent a shaft of pain through him that felt like he was being sliced in half, and crying out, his legs going weak, he fall back against Tao

His foot, jerking outward, caught the corner of the low table that was placed to one side of the console, and sent it over, a deep and loud Thud sounding through the room startling both of them, and the two boys froze, completely still

Sure enough, within a minute, there was a knock on the door

Both of them turned their heads towards it, like a scene from a horror movie when you just cant take your eyes off something you know you will regret seeing.

Sweaty..wet.. pre cum staining their clothes.. Sehun’s shirt bunched near his armpits, his pants and underwear lowered.. Tao’s hand which had crept back to his dick, still held it, the other still two fingers deep inside..  
 _His_  erection bulging dangerously through his clothes..

 

‘Boys! Enough playing, get to bed! It’s already past 12!!’

 

‘Ye-Yes Mom!’  
Tao called out, his voice obviously shaky.

 

_Surely.._

 

But

 

With an ‘Alright then, goodnight!’, the footsteps sounded away, and after a moment or two, both the boys let out simultaneous sighs of relief

 

‘Wa..wo..ow..’

 

‘Yeah!’

 

Sliding his fingers out, Tao crawled away, and stood up, walking to his closet

 

The rush of cold air hit Sehun’s body, seeming to especially carve at his flesh everywhere that Tao had been touching him

_That…_

 

_He should..get..up..too, right.._

 

_But…_

 

Sehun shivered, still teetering on the edge.. his arousal far from dampened

 

_Even if he tried to, he didn’t think his legs could hold him up right now…_

 

_but it couldn’t just..be..him…_

 

Sehun closed his eyes tight, willing his breathing to slow down

_Inhale_

_Exhale_

Over the game that was still chirping along merrily, he could hear the sounds of Tao rummaging in his closet

_Inhale_

The rustle of clothing..something jangling…

_Exhale_

Footsteps…  
With his cheek pressed to the floor, he could feel the sound too, as Tao made his way back to him

Sehun cracked his eyes open a slit – then sprang up, his hands thrust out in front to try to push Tao away as he saw what he was holding, shaking his head, trying to get away

But it was no use

Tao pushed him over, and climbed on top of him, pinning him back down, his entire weight over him, so he couldn’t move a muscle, even though he wriggled and fought as hard as he could, his sheer helplessness against Tao’s strength fuelling a spike of actual  _alarm_..

Sehun jerked his fists at him, laying ineffective punches against Tao’s chest  
‘Zitao!! Wait…Stop, no, hold on!!!!’ He hissed, injecting his refusal into his voice

Tao chuckled, unheeding, he wrenched open Sehun’s shirt and pulled it easily off him

And grabbing Sehun’s hands that were pummelling him, he raised them both up above his head..  
then yanked them higher still, sending a bolt of pain through his shoulders, before lacing them together strongly with the belt, using his mouth to help fasten it as tight as he could

_Dammit_

_Even though it was_ Tao _, for god’s sake!_

_he still couldn’t bite down the nervousness_

_Even though it was_ Tao _..Even though he absolutely didn’t mind,_ in his head _.._  
 _Still…_  
 _His stomach clenched in sudden anxiety_

_He was so completely overpowered!_

_he couldn’t even…_

His heart was pounding so loud, sending bursts of panic through him

_Why.. there was no reason to worry, right…_

_Yet.._

‘Ta-ao! I do-nt…’ Even though he tried to protest, the sharp inflection to his voice betrayed that little spark of pleasure beneath his refusal – Tao grinned as he kissed along the insides of his bare arms, from his bound wrists..down.. along the sensitive skin of his upper arm.. to his shoulders and neck, a track of goosebumps rising in his wake

Sitting up, Tao looked at him, biting his lip in appreciation at Sehun’s helpless glare… his eyes roving over his naked chest…

‘Ta..Tao! Seriou-Ummffhh!’

Sehun’s words were cut off as Tao lunged forward to smash his mouth against his, kissing him wetly, almost  _slobbering_...their tongues entwining slickly together..  
‘mmm..’  
‘uhhhnn..’  
Stroking..

Hot…

‘Uh!’  
Tao broke away so abruptly, Sehun’s mouth still gaped open, saliva coating his lips  
‘Ummmffnhgg!!!!!’

The next second, Tao pushed the piece of cloth into his mouth, stuffing it in  
‘Ghhuu!!’ Sehun jerked his head about, but Tao was relentless, shoving more and more of it into his throat..deeper…  
Sehun gagged, tears forming in his eyes, as Tao took another (handkerchief? But it was surely bigger..) and wound it around his forced open mouth, tying it securely

 

The cloth stuck to the insides of his mouth, clogging up near the back of his throat…he swallowed convulsively

 

_Air!!_

 

Desperately..

 

But only stray threads slid over the back of his cloying tongue

 

‘Guuggnnrgg’

 

The wad of cloth straining his cheeks wouldn’t budge

 

_It hurt_

 

_He really… couldn’t breathe…_

 

Panicking thoroughly now, Sehun clawed at his throat with his bound hands, desperate fear chilling him to the core

 

_He couldn’t..breathe..air..breathe..hecouldntbreathe TAO I CAN’T_

 

Suddenly a soft, gentle sensation passed over his cheek, quiet and smooth..  
Scalpelling cleanly right through his panic, leaving him abruptly completely still

Focusing his eyes that were still streaming with tears, Sehun stared blankly at Tao, who pecked him again, softly..  
Sweetly..

‘Breathe through your nose, idiot’

 

_Oh_

 

_Ohhh_

 

Shuddering, Sehun drew paroxysms of rapid, strained breaths, the cold air rushing into his lungs making him feel dizzy

 

He still couldn’t get much in..

 

His throat felt ragged and raw.. like he’d been screaming.. even though he hadn’t been able to make a sound..

 

Yet… that little surge of air filling his chest had tears spilling out of his eyes for a totally different reason –

 

Relief…  
Indescribable relief  
Happiness.. pride… that he’d rescued him…

_Tao…_

 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew the feelings of gratitude and… thankfulness welling up inside were false… it wasn’t like Tao had actually saved him..or anything.. but..

At that moment…

When Tao leaned forward to lay another little kiss on his cheek, he sobbed through the cloth, which was pulled in deeper.. but he didn’t care, reaching to stroke Tao’s hair, struggling to turn his fingers properly..

But he was cut short as Tao yanked his arms up again, sharply, flashing pain through his joints as he pulled then tighter, and, standing up, dragging Sehun forward a bit by his bound wrists, moved to  fasten them to one of the iron crossbars under his bed . Sehun moaned nervously, his voice sounding awfully distorted to him through the cloth, as he  twisted, anxiously trying to follow Tao’s movements,  but each inch he tried to turn felt like his arms would be wrenched out of their sockets..He gasped in pain, the cloth feeling like it was expanding

 

swelling in his mouth

 

 smothering him like a living thing…

 

the horrible clammy fear caught at his throat again

 

_Shit_

 

_Breathethroughyournose breathe through yournose breathethroughmynose_

 

Through the stabbing fear and pain, he repeated Tao’s words over and over in his head, like they were a sacred mantra, trying to quell his rising panic

_Tao saidbreathe breathe through my nose tao Tao said so, breathethroughyournose_

the words swirling faster and faster, screaming through him

 

 -- at that second, something totally different burned through his body

 ‘Uuuunnhh’

His eyes snapping open, taking a moment to focus through the tears heavily obscuring his vision, he realised that Tao had come back over to his side..  
His fingers threading lightly through Sehun’s hair..  
His head bent to his chest, his tongue sliding out to graze his nipple

Lightly

Lapping…

The pleasure that coursed through him was like nothing he had ever felt before..the pain, the horrible suffocation..everything seemed to coalesce into this fire lighting through his body -   
Straight to his hips, which bucked involuntarily, his whole lower body rising eagerly, leaving only his feet on the floor

The belt around his wrists bit angrily, the gag tightening and his voice spilled out in muffled incoherent sounds..

The pain replacing the pleasure..wrapping around it…

As he watched through blurred eyes, Tao licked along his stomach.. moving lower..

As his lips grazed against his engorged erection, Sehun bucked helplessly again – it was like he had lost all control over his body, its movements thoroughly exaggerated and abandoned and wanton..but he couldn’t do anything…It was totally Tao’s now..  
His mind..felt..

The pleasure enveloping the pain, the pain sharping through the pleasure..

 

A sudden silence cut through the room, slamming into him like a physical blow – Straining his head off the floor, he realised Tao had turned to switch the game off,  throwing the console aside, before reaching down again.

Holding his dick with two fingers, he lazily lapped against the tip

_Dammit_

_He was playing..taking his time..  teasing him…_

But each touch was like a shot of electricity through his aroused and hyper sensitive body, every sensation magnified beyond imaginable levels..

 _I’m....losing..it…._  

Then Tao’s tongue moved lower still, circling his grasping anus, before forcing its way in

Black spots burst through his vision, as he screamed desperately, his voice coming out only as a croak, his head feeling light enough to float off the ground…

The only sounds in the now silent room was his frantic attempts to get air, interspersing his stifled moans and exclamations, and the slopping thumps of his sweat-dripping body, that was almost thrashing  about, as Tao worked his tongue in and out, his hands tightly clenched around his cock, all gentleness forgotten…

‘Hu-un..ah.. I’m…goi-ingto.. ’

Startled at Tao’s voice that sounded like he was somehow..incredibly…almost in the same state as Sehun, he looked at him vacantly, unable to think, leave alone indicate his desire for just  _that_..

But Tao got it though… perfectly understanding his unspoken words, he chuckled weakly, and sitting up, raised Sehun’s left leg, hooking his knee over his shoulder, leaning forward to lick along the underneath of Sehun’s collarbone, he fumbled for a moment with his clothes..

The next instant, the hot, impossible fullness of his cock had pierced right through him, and Sehun screamed again, despite expecting it, despite _wanting_ it so bad… his body wrenching horribly against his tied hands, and Tao’s grip on his thighs, every cell shrieking in ecstasy and agony, a haze spreading red before his eyes, vaguely aware that he was hovering right at the edge of unconsciousness

Relentlessly, Tao plunged in and out.. dragging his body to and fro with the force of his movements, each time thrusting him deeper and deeper into the pleasure..

the stabbing thrusts tearing through his insides,  the stretching of his arms..  
Even the horrendously rising suffocation,  
 the helplessness of hearing his own voice turned to animal grunts throttled by the gag no longer hurt,  
Nothing, none of it registered as pain anymore – it was all pleasure, everything, every sensation ripping through his body was ecstasy, shattering through his mind in its intensity

 

Again and again

 

He realised at some point he was gurgling through the cloth, he didn’t know how long he had been... the gag was soaked through and through, packing tighter to itself, allowing a trickle more air into his throat..

Then the realisation and the thought of relief was blown away in another wave of stunning pleasure, Tao hitting the most sensitive part of his body over and over

 

‘ugrr..ghuu..’

 

He clutched one hand over Sehun’s cock, pumping it in tandem with his thrusts..

 

Back and forth.. a couple of times…

 

_He couldn’t..hold..on.._

 

_Any..  
Longer_

 

‘Ghggrnnnhh’

Sehun’s  voice rose high, sharp pitched, as his entire body clenched – a split second before he exploded, actually feeling like he’d burst.. for a second, losing every last bit of his mind, that unconscious knowledge of himself, of who he was, every thing he was – wiped away totally in the peak

Then with a dull thud, his body crashed back to the ground, he had actually arched right off the floor entirely, in his ecstasy

 

Weakly, barely conscious, he felt Tao’s thrusts speed up..

 

His heel banging floppily against Tao’s back..  
At the edge of his vision, he could see his own cum splotching over his skin…

 

His bonelessly splayed body jolted suddenly, as he felt the sharp blossoming heat filling him as Tao came too..

 

Like at a great distance, he could feel Tao’s fingers scrabbling at the gag..  
The loosening of his arms..

 

 

At some point he’d thought clearly, ‘I want nothing more than to be let free’..

he’d desperately imagined the lungfulls of cold beautiful oxygen he’d suck in..

But now…

 

He wrapped his suddenly free arms around Tao, strength coming from some unknown place deep inside, he tugged him close, tears spilling out again from his eyes that had just dried  
 His sobs punctured ragged through the air, wretched..

Like his heart was breaking

‘Sehun?!’

 

Choking, the words wrenched themselves out of his mouth, as he pulled Tao closer

‘Don’t..don’t let me go so easily!!’

 

His voice held the inexplicable fear and desperation that were fuelling themselves deep in his heart

 

For a dreadful moment, there was only silence..

 

Then Tao chuckled,  and pushed his head into the crook of Sehun’s neck, patting his head.. stroking his hair  
‘Of course I won’t, idiot.’ His low voice bursting with conviction..  
Promise..  
‘I’ll never let you go.’  
It was like he was saying it as much to himself as to Sehun,  affirming something in his own mind  
‘Ever.’

Sehun smiled .. then his vision finally flickered out totally.. like an old movie reel, dimming, as his exhausted mind pulled away mistily

He could feel Tao scoop him up..  
Lay him in his bed, and climb in over him, wrapping his arms around him, and cuddling him as close to himself as possible

 

‘Sehun-ah!’  
Tao’s voice, suddenly carrying an urgent note, roused a flicker of consciousness , and he hummed in response  
‘Err.. I..that is.. I love you!’

_Ohh_

The cuteness of Tao’s embarrassment was something he absolutely couldn’t resist, and his heavy lids cracked open

‘Whrrmmgh’

‘Huh???!!’

Clearing his throat painfully, raising his head to face Tao, Sehun smiled at him  
‘Whatr you getting shy about at this point?’  
Despite its hoarseness, his voice carried a distinct note of teasing, and Tao blushed harder  
‘Its not the first time you’ve said it even…’

‘Shuddup!’

Sehun grinned now, and laid his lips right over Tao’s  
‘I love you too’ he kissed the words rather than spoke them, and Tao grinned too, before pulling his head into his chest  
Sighing happily, Sehun rubbed his face against him, before finally falling asleep


	12. Chapter Twelve

‘Tao!!  _Tao!!’_

 

‘Right, right, sorry!’ Tao stopped for the third time on the same street, looking over his shoulder at Sehun, who was making his way slowly towards him, walking like he’d aged 70 yrs over night

 

They’d both been woken up super early by his mom banging on the door, on her way to work, yelling to them to get up if they didn’t want to be late.. While Sehun had buried himself deeper into the covers, grumbling and muttering darkly, Tao’d gotten washed and dressed, feeling supremely refreshed and bright and chirpy, even humming on and off (a sign of exuberance that had Sehun violently hurling a pillow at him – then immediately groaning in regret, and flopping back into the bed)

It had taken the delicious smells of freshly baking homemade rolls to finally get Sehun out,(Yuki nainai even packing up a box for him to take), and after eating, they’d left for Sehun’s house.Somehow managing to convince him to get dressed and ready, despite all his complaining, and petulantly insistent ‘I’m skipping school today!’, Tao’d hefted both their bags, and shoved him out the door with time to spare

Watching his boy walk painfully to him, beanie securely covering his brilliantly coloured hair, hands just the slightest bit outstretched for extra balance, Tao couldn’t stop an extremely satisfied, and self congratulatory grin from beaming over his face – making Sehun curse at him loud enough to startle the pair of women who were walking their dressed up poodles in the frigid morning air. Giving him looks colder than the freeze of the winter, they picked up their dogs, and quickened their pace, walking around him like he had some sort of contagious disease

‘Huuhh??!! Stupid females...’ Muttering angrily, Sehun reached Tao, and slipped his hand through his arm securely, determined not to get left behind again  
‘Stupid Tao..stop fucking smiling you stupid idiot, do you have any idea..’ The constant low tones of his grouch had Tao bursting out in laughter, and he moved to pat Sehun’s shoulder

‘Cheer up, Hunhun, its such a beautiful morning!’

Sehun shied away immediately, before Tao could touch him – ‘OUCH!! That  _hurts_ dammit, don’t touch me!!’

‘Fine…sorry!’ Tao tried to make his voice sound apologetic, then had to turn away hastily to cover his mouth with his free hand – making Sehun swing his fist into his side, his grumbling reaching new levels of darkness

‘Ouch!’ Tao cried out more to satisfy him than anything – Sehun’s cute little fist barely held the strength of a snowflake  
‘Ahh-ah!’ He bent a little to bring his lips next to his ear, letting them touch the lobes teasingly  
‘Complaining this much now, even though last night you were..all….’ he let his voice trail off suggestively

‘ _I was not!! Shuttup already!!!!!_ ’Springing away, his face the colour of a fire hydrant,  Sehun rubbed his ear furiously, trying to erase the sensation of Tao’s breath and heat against it

‘Eeeehh~~ is that so? Because I saw something really different ne~~’

‘Shuttup shuttupshuttup!!’ Sehun glared at him, looking so adorably angry, while blushing even  harder now, that Tao felt his insides melting  
‘Besides, it wasn’t just me!!’

Chuckling, Tao pulled his arm through his again, and resumed walking  
‘Yes, but I’m not the one denying it’ he said archly

 

 

‘But..seriously..we overdid it, ne..’ Tao frowned as he slid his hand under Sehun’s and lifted it up, to look at the angry red welts marking his wrists

‘Next time, we’ll have to be more careful’ he said, as he kissed the wounds

‘Next time??!!!!!!!!!!’ Sehun grabbed his hand away, glaring at Tao

‘Eehh.. did you really hate it that much?’ Tao turned to him, looking thoroughly serious for the first time that morning

‘Tha..i mean… hate…well.. i..’ Blushing, Sehun turned his face away, avoiding looking at Tao

‘Well, we won’t do anything like that again, then!’ Tao’s voice sounded in low tones, all humour gone

‘I..didn’t..say I didn’t want to do that again or anything…I mean..’ Realising belatedly that he was supposed to be mad at Tao for something he actually thoroughly enjoyed, and that he’d die rather than admit it, and that he wasn’t all that good at acting, Sehun just gave up and strode forward, walking as quickly as he could with his aching thighs

Stepping up his speed as Tao burst into helpless laughter behind him

 

‘Se..hun..wait..’ Tao caught up with him and drew him close once again

‘Just so you know, if  _anyone_ asks me what happened to my arms, I’ma tell them it was you’ Sehun growled in angry tones, while cuddling closer to him

‘Hmmm… if you drum up that much business for me, I wont have any time for you at all, though…’

‘Huuuuuuhhh??!! Stupid Tao!! Who the hell would want to…’

 

 

Teasing and playing around, the boys finally reached school – a part of Sehun’s mind noting with great satisfaction that this time around, Tao kept his hold on him right till the gate

‘Hun – ah’

‘Hmm?’

‘See ya’

Tao whispered just as he let go off him

‘Umm!’

Sehun grinned up at him happily, enjoying the look of total reluctance painting Tao’s face

 

The day was an incredibly fun one – despite the moment of near panic when, after doing his best to avoid Mai all day long, he literally bumped into her outside the vending machines beside the library

[ _After multiple awkward fits and starts, they’d finally had a near-decent conversation, the gist of which was that she still had her doubts about the whole thing, and ‘frankly speaking I think you are faaar from being good enough for someone like Tao-jun!, but for_ his  _sake she would keep their secret (‘it’s not like I would have said anything anyway,_ I’m  _not like one of those useless gossiping little cats_ you  _hang out with’) after which she tossed her head and stalked off, leaving Sehun feeling strangely relieved]_  
[ _of course, that was erased by the feeling of utter irritation two seconds later when she stopped to call over her shoulder – ‘Just don’t drag him down to your level, for God’s sake!’]_

 

And the care with which he had to avoid being touched by anyone – he was sure he’d cry out, his arms were still throbbing, and every muscle in his body ached – though, in spite of all his complaining in front of Tao, he secretly  _loved_ the dull pain settling into his body

 

Every time he’d caught Tao’s eye in class – which was surprisingly often, given that Tao had to twist in his chair to look at him, he had made faces like he was in great pain, rubbing various muscles, and looking totally depressed – with the result that, by lunchtime, Tao was almost in tears in belated guilt. So it had come as no great surprise to Sehun when, walking to the cafeteria with Lu Han and Xiumin, arguing merrily about the pros and cons of pork cutlets vs fried chicken,  a hand had reached out of the supply closet, grabbed his collar, and yanked him in. As the door swung shut, Tao had quickly covered his mouth with his other hand, and whispered ‘Sshh!’  
Both the boys held their breaths, their bodies pressed against each other in the small dark confined space,  as the others’ footsteps sounded further and further - till they came to a sudden stop at the end of the corridor, and Xiumin’s bewildered ‘Where’s Sehun?!’ reached them  
‘Eehh, he was right here… oh, well, maybe he had to go to the washroom or whatever, let’s go, Baozi~~’  
With a ‘Don’t call me that!’ the footsteps had started again, slowly fading, and only then had they finally exhaled

Once certain the corridor was deserted, Tao had let them both out, and taken him round to the empty gym block (closed for the winter season) to where the large indoor pool lay covered by a dusky blue tarp, the whole place dark and bone-freezingly cold.. cold, that is, at least for a while, until, to the strangely erotic sound of water lapping at the edges of the tiles, and the mysterious variegated shadows that occasionally skimmed across tarp and floor, and their bodies, Tao had undressed him and kissed every single bruise and mark and scratch on him, spending at least 3 minutes on every single one,  till Sehun, feeling like one of those cartoon figures with steam spewing from the top of their heads, had violently demanded Tao ‘do him properly’

Of course, for the rest of the day, he hadn’t been able to sit properly, fidgeting about while trying to put the least amount of pressure anywhere, and turtle walking everywhere

 

 

Tao had insisted he leave early, when they managed to catch a moment together near the shoe lockers at the end of the day, promising to come right over once he was done with club, and Sehun had agreed, reaching up to swiftly kiss him and wish him all the best with it, before heading out, catching up to Lu Han and Xiumin and Lin and Fang and the rest just as they were passing through the gates  
Despite their protests, he’d left them at the mall after just half an hour, feeling like he’d drop any moment from the total exhaustion in his body, and the even more exhausting pretence of hiding it from everyone. Reaching home, he hadn’t even bothered turning on a single light (the gloom had established itself with the flurry that had started up even as they reached the mall earlier) and simply flopped into bed, falling asleep before his head hit the pillow

 

When his eyes cracked open much later, he knew it was Tao cuddling him even before he was fully conscious..  something..either his smell..or the feel of his body..or his particular brand of warmth..or maybe all of these, had imprinted themselves so clearly in every last bit of his being already, that he could recognize him even in his deepest sleep  
‘Sorry..i didn’t mean to wake you!’ Tao said, speaking softly, somehow making him feel like they were somewhere in a warm cacoon..wrapped safely, just the two of them , only the two of them occupants of the entire world  
‘Mmm..mm’ Sehun buried his face in Tao’s chest, drifting comfortably back as Tao traced soothing little circles over his back  
‘I have to leave in a bit.. I got dinner for you, its in the kitchen.. get up and eat, ok??’ Tao’s voice felt like soft little clouds blanketing him…almost like he could actually feel them against his skin..  
And Sehun murmured in reply, willing him silently to keep talking..  
Of course, Tao, in the midst of nagging him, didn’t really need encouragement to continue

‘ You don’t even have to heat it up or anything, the containers are heat packed.. you haven’t eaten anything, have you??! I saw your friends at the mall on my way over, but you weren’t with them..

You should have eaten with them!!

you missed lunch too, ne..

sorry..’ 

‘Tao doesn’t need to apologize!’ Sehun’s eyes flew open at the layer of guilt colouring Tao’s words at the end. ‘Don’t you dare say sorry or regret that!!’

‘Huh…’ taken aback for a moment at the sudden fire and vehemence in the smaller boy’s face, when only seconds earlier, he’d been more than three fourths asleep, Tao’s expression gradually eased into a smile  
‘Umm..gottit, I wont then..’ He ruffled his hair, and titled his head to plant a kiss on his forehead  
‘But make sure you get up and eat ok?’  
‘Yeah yeah..mmbbfffffffhhn’

Sehun buried his face back into Tao’s chest, rubbing and muttering to himself

Tao chuckled ‘What was that last bit?’

‘Stay like this for a bit’ Sehun raised his head to repeat himself, then quickly went back to his place

‘Fine fine~’Grinning, Tao wrapped his arms closer around him, and held him close again as he fell asleep

 

 

The days slipped by tenderly like that

 

Thrice a week Tao had Wushu practice in the mornings, so it couldn’t be helped, but on the other days, he’d come over to pick Sehun up (more than once, having to  _wake_ Sehun up) and they’d walk to school together, filling each other in on every little thing that happened during the frustrating time they had to be apart..  
The secret glances theyd give each other during lessons were precious, lighting both of them with a warm glow, cementing them deep into the world that belonged only to them, secret gestures and hurriedly mouthed words, short texts they sent each other from under their tables, inside jokes no one else would understand anyway…  
Catching each other at odd moments between classes, or during breaks, in the washroom, behind the shelves with the damaged books in the library..in the green room of the auditorium when the rest of the Second Years were being given a talk on Cleanliness and the Community  
And more than a few times, in the empty pool – which had fast become one of Sehun’s top most favourite places on the planet

Sehun usually left to hang out with the others after class while Tao had club, but theyd always meet up as soon as he was done with practice, Tao taking him on dates practically every single day, to all his fav spots around Qingdao, treating him to the most delicious meals in hidden little restaurants he’d never have found otherwise,to all the karaoke places with private booths, where Tao’d force Sehun to ‘sing’.. to the amusement park, where theyd thoroughly made out in the ferris wheel, the glass window forcing them to use only their hands and only below the level of their chests, while keeping their faces absolutely expressionless – a game that had resulted in one of the hottest nights Sehun could imagine…  
most evenings, theyd eventually end up at one of the beaches, so deserted in the winter chill, that they usually had the entire place to themselves, and Tao’d spread a blanket over the cold snow, and wrap his arms around him, and under the starry sky, each glimmer unbelievably sharp and bright and iridescent in the winter night, they’d talk about all their hopes and dreams, and secrets..  
building castles in the sand and fill them with all their wishes and longings, their happiness feeling incredibly like pain…

Every night, Tao would walk Sehun home (and inevitably stay for a while) before heading home himself – only to stay up till the early hours, texting each other in bed…

 

The days slipped by like, this, one after the other, warm sleepy drowsy days…till suddenly a fever seemed to grip the city. Ropes of fairy lights started to show up in streets that just a bit earlier had lain in snowy slumber, men hollering to each other from atop stepladders and chairs balanced on stools balanced on tables as wreaths were hung on lampposts and stony outcroppings that till then, had only held the company of a parliament of snowflakes

The lights of the town blazed a little brighter, voices carried a little louder, and smiles spread a little faster

And over it all, the air, still as frigid as before, was now tempered at any hour of the day or night with the warm scent of baking bread and cake, threaded through with trickles of cinnamon

 

‘Ne~~ Sehun-ah’  
‘Hmm?’  
‘We’re off half the day tomorrow, whadya wanna do?’  
‘Hmm..?’

Sehun wiggled, trying to rouse himself from the warm dreamy feelings coiling around him, as they both lay cuddled in his bed, wrapped around only in a futon

‘It’s Saturday! We have half the day off, right….ne, Sehun, are you listening to me?’ Tao ran his fingers over his bare chest  
‘Hmm-mm…  
Ah!’ Sehun sat up suddenly

‘Ah, sorry Taotao, I can’t on Saturday..’

‘Ehh? Why not?’

‘I….i have some stuff to do’

Tao stared at him through lowered lids.. This had happened once or twice..or more.. before – Sehun would say something in a peculiar tone of voice that he never otherwise used – and Tao knew that however much he pushed, he wouldn’t breathe another word on the topic.  
Initially he’d gotten worried..jealous even, wondering what it was that Sehun was upto that he couldn’t tell  _him_ about..  
This led to many instances when the atmosphere between them got cold.. when the silences were drawn out, and a horrible fear gripped Tao down to his core..

But each time, he remembered the last time he’d gotten jealous

How much ever time passed, he’d  _never_ forget that sound of Sehun’s head hitting the stair..

Or the feel of his lifeless body in his arms

That feeling scared him even more than ANY thought of being cheated on, (he’d tell himself forcibly that Sehun was  _light years_ away from Kris) or being ‘left out’, and he’d force himself to smile and talk normally, and soon the moment would pass..

Though each time, leaving a tiny little shard of unease lodged somewhere deep inside

But as time went on, he realised eventually that this tone of voice only came out when the conversation touched on ‘family’… or why Sehun was living alone..  
When Tao unheedingly asked ‘Wouldn’t his parents worry’ about something or the other..

In the beginning Tao had felt like he didn’t have any right to pry into Sehun’s life, or his private matters..

After all..their relationship had been.. well.. basically just that of ‘friends with benefits’, right? Minus the ‘friends’ part

And later…

He still felt awkward at the thought of pushing Sehun too much in this regard..

They hadn’t known each other all that long anyway..they had just started going out…

 

These sort of thoughts filled his mind every time this happened, and soon, he learnt to avoid these topics entirely, being wary of bringing up any subject that would suddenly hit him with the realisation that they were..indeed..two different people

 

‘Tao…?’ Sehun had his face turned away, fiddling with all his concentration apparently engrossed in a couple of loose threads in the futon, but Tao could clearly see his nervousness in his tense shoulders and slightly shaking fingers  
‘Mm-mm!’ Tao sat up too, draping one arm around him, and nuzzling his neck, tickling him. ‘Don’t worry about it, it’s fine!’  
‘..Umm.’ Sehun looked at him, holding his eyes for a moment, worry slowly fading from his face, yet, still not offering any explanation. Tao smiled reassuringly, and leaned forward to kiss him  
‘But in return, I get you all day Sunday, right’  
‘Huh!?’  
Suddenly pushing him over, pressing him down with his own body, and pinning his wrists down, Tao grinned wickedly, laying a series of kisses over his forehead..  
Both eyes..  
The tip of his nose..  
‘To do..whatever I…want..with..’  
‘As if you don’t already..’ Sehun grumbled through his blush, before Tao claimed his lips

 

But that night, as he lay in bed, trying his best to fall asleep, the anxieties he thought he’d pushed away came swirling back

Thinking about it…

What exactly did he know about Sehun, anyway?

How long had they been going out for..

Yet, what the hell did he even know about him??!!

 

Assigning numbers to the bars in his window, he counted – He was 16 yrs old, younger than Tao by a year

He was Korean

He liked crazy hair colours and bubble tea and pop music…

 

_No, wait, not that kind of stuff_

 

………….

 

 

Ah! He had an elder brother…

 

……….

 

…………

 

‘Aaahhh-ahh’ Blowing out a his breath in a deep sigh, Tao rolled over, having not gotten even down half the ebony

‘3:07 AM’

His alarm clock flashed fluorescent from his bedside table

 

Maybe he really ought to force him to tell him more, to talk about himself…

But..

Anyway, how was it any of his, Tao’s, business…

 

Besides, Sehun really seemed to not wanna talk about any of that.. What right did he have to push him?

 

_But…_

 

This discomfort….

 

‘Huh?’  
His phone, plugged in to charge on his bedside table vibrated, rousing him from the endless loop running in his head  
Reaching over, Tao flicked it on, and pressed the message icon

 

‘Goodnight’

 

 It was from Sehun..

Clicking his tongue, somehow feeling worse than before, Tao started to switch it off, not even feeling like replying in his current state - then paused as he saw the ‘…’ at the end

‘huh..’

He scrolled down

For a long space, there were only dots

 

Then  -

 

‘I’m sorry…’

 

 

‘Thank You ‘

 

For some reason, his hand was shaking as he scrolled down another expanse of dots

 

And there, right at the end..

 

‘…I love you’

 

Tao threw his pillow across the room, then flung himself face down into the bed, feeling like his face would split in two from his grin  
 ‘Uggghhh, hasn’t he slept yet??!! I told him to go right to bed when I left, even!!!’

Muttering to himself, ( _That’s it, that’s all, I’m just surprised he’s awake still, that.Is.All)_

_(Ughh!!There’s no way I can be this happy for something this small..._

 

_ugghh.._

 

_It’s such a small thing.._

 

_………….._

_…..how can just..what,six little words? Eight? , with no explanation or whatever.._

_How can just that fix everything..so easily…_

_…_

 

 

_WHY the fuck am I this happy!!!!)_

 

 Tao rolled himself into a ball, coming face to face with the window

 

Slowly, he reached out one hand, to trace the rest of the ebony bars that spanned across it

 

‘ _He loves me_ ’

 

So it was fine, right..

No matter what else he didn’t know, he knew this much

The rest wasn’t even important anyway..

 

If and when Sehun felt like opening up more to him, he’d be right there..in the meantime..

 

 he would just trust him

 

 _Obviously, I’m not_ Happy  _or anything just from this much…_

 

_But.._

 

 

 

_he loves me.._

 

Whispering those words to himself any number of times, Tao finally fell asleep with a smile playing at his lips

 

 

 

Monday morning, they both walked into class together, Sehun grinning fit to burst – when he’d made to move away from Tao at the gates, he’d basically just frog marched him in, and once inside the building, even though he’d let go of his hand, still kept pace with him, walking close enough that their hands grazed with each step

‘Ah!’

They’d barely stepped in, when they came face to face with Mai, who was just stepping  _out_ , holding the vase that usually sat on the Teacher’s table – it was her turn to be in charge of the classroom

‘Ah!!’

She looked from one to the other, before turning away quickly, blushing, then snapped her face back, her expression unreadable

‘Good Morning, Zitao-jun’

‘Err..Good Morning Mai’

‘Excuse me’ She jerked her head politely, and brushed past them, stalking down the corridor, totally ignoring Sehun

‘Something tells me I’m not on her Christmas list..’  
Sehun watched her walk away

‘Aahhh..that’s right..i haven’t really spoken to her since then, ne..’ Tao followed his gaze

‘Since…  
Eeehhh??!! But..you sit right in front of her in class and stuff!! And you’re both on the student council, right??’

‘Hmm? Yeah..well.. I don’t really know..somehow…we kept missing each other, I think…  
Ah, I have to talk to her, right? It’s just that she doesn’t know you, that’s all!’ Tao turned to grin at Sehun, patting his shoulder  
‘Once she knows you properly, she’ll totally love you!!’

Sehun stared at him, his thought of – ‘Omg, wow, this dude is clueless beyond imagination, isn’t he’ showing clearly on his face

‘Wha-a-at~’ Tao pursed his lips at him, pouting and whining in a sing song voice

 

‘Sehun..?’

‘Se… xiong…?’

‘Duizhang?!!’

They sprang apart, looking up at the rest of the class, (well, everyone who’d gotten there already) who were staring open mouthed at the extremely unsettling sight of two members of the class who were on opposite ends of the friendship chain suddenly appearing so close, standing in the doorway, and having some sort of oddly intimate hush-hush conversation

 

‘Ahh..er.. well, yes, I’ll use that formula, then..er.. thank you’ Sehun spoke loudly, avoiding looking directly at Tao

‘urrmm…yeah, er.. don’t..mention it…’

Blushing and still determinedly avoiding all eye contact, they both quickly hurried to their respective seats, Tao hiding his head immediately in a note book (a totally random one, the first thing that hit his hand) and Sehun quickly starting a conversation with Lin and Wei, while fumbling with his beanie

 

Gradually the class filled, with Chan Ye running in at top speed just as the bell chimed its last note, exclaiming loudly ‘Saa-aa-aafe!’ sending the whole class into peals of laughter  
‘Stand! Bow!’ Tao called out  as Yixing Laoshi entered, and everyone bowed their ‘Good Morning’ before the scraping of chairs sounded as everyone made to sit back down – when Laoshi stopped them  
‘Take your bags and move to the back of the class’

 

‘Huuhh??’

‘What??’

‘Why?!!’

 

‘Yes, yes, don’t make noise!’ Yixing Laoshi waved his hands, arresting the widespread clamour that had risen  
‘We’re going to be changing the seating arrangement now, its been half a year, right? You must be bored of sitting in the same place..  
Plus there are certain individuals I’d like closer to my eye’ His gaze resting pointedly on Bo Xian, and Chan Ye, making everyone burst out laughing  
‘Not to mention certain individuals who really shouldn’t be sitting next to each other ‘ He shifted his gleaming eyes to Lu Han, who groaned and whined, ‘But Whhyyy..’ so loud, he was clearly audible even above the helpless hoots and howls with which the entire class greeted that last comment, cries of ‘Poor Lu Han!’  
And ‘Wha~~ Xiumin meets freedom!!’  
And ‘Baa-oozzii~~ which shrine did you pray at, your wishes came true~~’  
Puncturing the air, along with Lu Han’s acid retorts

Making them wait at the back, Yixing Laoshi took up the chalk, and sketched out the new seating plan..

As he drew, Sehun started turning from a faint shade of candy to vermillion through crimson

He had been moved one place forward. Luhan, who used to sit next to him, was now placed diagonally in front of him, and Xiumin, who used to sit on Luhan’s other side, had been shifted one place to the right of his old one  
Bo Xian had gone from right in front of Luhan, to the head of Sehun’s row, right in the very first bench, with Wei separating him from Chan Ye

And..

Right behind Sehun..

In his old seat beside the window…

‘Aahh~~ Zitao Jun has such a nice place, ne~~’  
The whines rose as Duizhang was placed in the ‘best’ spot in class, the one that naturally fell in the teachers’ blind spot  
‘Ahh~~ so useless, na..’  
‘Poor Se xiong.. he lost the Sweet Spot’

Ignoring the mutterings, Tao turned around to Mai.  
‘It’s too bad we won’t be next to each other anymore, ne, Mai mei… still, we’re close by, that’s good, right?’ Ending with a cute grin that reached his eyes, crinkling them up  
Mai stared at him open mouthed for a moment, then turned away without replying, grumbling under her breath, and shooting Sehun an evil glare

Slowly, the class settled into their new places, Lu Han twisting and adjusting his table, trying to get the best view to Xiumin, only to be hit by a piece of flying chalk released by Laoshi, Mai falling into some sort of deep conversation with Lin who was next to her now, and..  
  
‘I’ll be in your care from now on, Sehun-ah’ Tao whispered, his voice quietly intimate, as Sehun sat down right in front of him  
Without turning around, but with the back of his neck going red, Sehun growled ‘Shut up’ in equally low tones  
Looking at his new view, Tao couldn’t help beaming broadly – shocking everyone who knew his penchant for sticking to the front few rows, and getting around any teachers’ attempts to move him to the back

All day long right downwind of his baby’s soft yet maddeningly entrancing scent.. uninterrupted sightline to the little downy hairs glinting golden on the nape of that meltingly milky neck..

_He really couldn’t ask for more_

 

‘Wow..  this view seriously isn’t half bad..’ As Laoshi started the lesson, and everyone opened their notebooks and began writing, Tao murmured  
‘Umm! the street, right, its really pretty when you can see all the way to the sea’ Sehun turned to look out of the window  
‘….. I totally wasn’t talking about the view  _outside_ though…’  
Their faces were close enough for Tao’s breath to fall warm on Sehun’s cheek  
Without a word Sehun turned back, scooting forward as far as he could, the blush turning his ears tomato red, making Tao chuckle throatily..  
Which elicited even redder blushes, and a jostle as he reached backward to kick the leg of Tao’s chair

 

‘Se-ee-huunn…

 

 

Nee~~ Seeehuunn..are you listenin’…

 

 

Oh Seeehhuunnaaa..’

 

‘What?!’ Sehun snapped back desperately

 

Tao had been sitting leaning forward all day, bringing him in closest proximity to Sehun, who had spent the entire time trying his best to balance right at the edge of his chair, trying to get as far as possible from Tao’s horribly disconcerting presence  
Everytime he drifted back, it was all he could do to fist his hands in his lap, and pray no one was looking at him..  
Coz…  
Well...He’d really be in big trouble if they noticed…

When Tao whispered like this, his voice had this particular throaty..kinda.. _growly?_ quality that..just..  
It was  _exactly_ the same voice as he made when -  _No, no, nonono, stop, don’t think like this!_  
‘What do you want?!’ He kept his voice sharp, going for ‘annoyed’

‘Ya know, I never noticed how incredibly yummy your neck looks..well, obviously I always knew it was singularly delicious, but I never realised exactly _how_ much, ne..

your skin looks like its moulded out of rich, thick, milk chocolate..when you bend your head a bit, I can see the indentations of your spine..

it totally makes me wanna bite into it so bad.. just run my teeth all over.. and lick at it, from the base right upto your ear… I wanna grab as much of it as possible in my mouth and suck it…  

work my tongue all over, pulling the skin through my teeth..

 

And slowly make my way downwards…right upto-‘

 

With a crash, Sehun stood up so fast, he almost seemed to blur  
‘Sehun??!’ Chen Laoshi cried, startled, and everybody in the class gaped at him

‘To…toilet..’Sehun mumbled, tripping over the word, every visible bit of his skin cherry red

‘A..aah..err.. yes, yes, alright..’ Chen Laoshi nodded, still looking thoroughly bemused, and Sehun quickly ran out the class, while Tao hunkered down as much as possible in his seat, stuffing one hand in his mouth to stifle his giggles

 

 

Sehun did his best to ignore Tao for the rest of the period, which was thankfully the last of the day, and when Chen Laoshi had left, he followed him (and Suki, who was still hanging around Laoshi in totally unfounded hopes) out of the class, pulling on his jacket and muffler (the one Tao had bought that day at that flowery shop) on the way, calling out to Lu Han that he’d wait near the gate

‘Ah!’ As he stood waiting against the grill, stamping his feet in the cold, his phone buzzed  
‘Hun-ah, sry Idk if I cn c u tonite, we’r startin spec practice fr te Winter Tournament frm 2day..gtg, ttyl8r’

‘Eeeehhhh~~’ Puffing out a chilly breath in disappointment, Sehun quickly messaged Tao back with a ‘Gottit Good Luck’  grumbling about how unfair it was of him to ‘lead me on all day’ and then ‘wimp out at the last minute’

 

‘Huh?’

‘Oh!! Luuulu!’

‘What’re you talking to yourself about?’

‘Ah!’ Sehun rubbed the back of his head, flustered. ‘Ah..Nothing, nothing.. Umm, let’s goo~~’

‘Right, right~’

Chattering amongst themselves, the group (which gradually swelled from Sehun, Luhan and Xiumin, to include about 8 people) made their way to the usual mall they hung out at, discussing the new seating arrangement, complaints as well as self congratulatory comments headlining the multiple simultaneous conversations….  
Breaking off into smaller groups to window shop, then meeting back later in the evening as the darkness fell, blanketing the frosty air around them

As the large ornamental clock in the centre of the quadrangular building chimed 6 o’clock though, Sehun started fidgeting. This was the time he usually left, going home to wait for Tao… Even though he knew today Tao wouldn’t be coming…

Still..

_It was the very first day, right? Wouldn’t they get off early today? And even if they didn’t.. wouldn’t he at least finish by 6:30pm?_

 

_How long does special practice for a tournament go on, anyway??_

 

_Let’s see…_

_first the warm up and stuff – say, 15 mins.._

_then their Shifu would make them do general drills.. 30 mins? 20 mins? Let’s say 30 to be on the safe side.._

 

_then they’d go through their individual routines.._

_since it’s the ‘special’ practice, maybe it’d take longer than usual.._

_2 hrs???_

…….

 

‘Seeehuuunn!’  
‘Huh?’  
‘’ _Huh’_?? You were the one who..’  
As everyone laughed at Sehun’s totally blank expression – he really had no clue what the current topic of conversation was - Luhan flicked his forehead  
‘Take it quickly, it’s hot!’  
‘Eehh…’ Looking quizzically at the paper plate Luhan held in one hand, and the tiny cup of water Xiumin was proffering, Sehun looked back up Lu  
‘Basi digua??’  
‘Huuuhh!!’  
‘Whaa.. Sehun knows it, huh?’  
‘Se-xiong, you’ve eaten this??’  
‘Sehun!’ Lu han let out an exasperated sigh ‘Honestly! You made me go all the way around to the back street to get this, coz you said you haven’t tried it!!’  
‘Huhh??!! I never said any such thing!’  
‘Haaa??!! Yeah you did, Xiumin said ‘digua’ and I said, ‘Ah, Sehun, you haven’t tried it, right?’ and you said ‘yes’ and I said, ‘alrighty~ I’ll get you some, okay’ and you said ‘yes’ so I ….’  
‘Eehhh’ Sehun blushed, he had been so engrossed in calculating the time Tao could manage to get off practice, down to the minutes, he hadn’t realised what he’d been agreeing to  
‘So~o~rry.. But thanks anyway, I really like it!’  
Grinning so cutely at Lu han that he sighed, giving up, and perched on the low parapet next to Sehun, smiling at him, Sehun reached for a piece

‘aahh..but I’m surprised you’ve had this.. its difficult to find a shop selling this now unless you know exactly where to go, ne~’  
‘Umm, umm, that’s right!’  
‘Yes isn’t it’  
As everyone murmured in agreement, Sehun laughed and waved one hand  
‘No no, I wouldn’t have found it, Ta-‘

Quickly, he cut himself off, blushing

_Yikes!!! He’d almost said Tao had taken him_

‘Ah! Hey, what usually happens here for Christmas?’

Hastily changing the topic, Sehun breathed a long breath of relief as the conversation immediately took off with descriptions of the extravagant celebrations, as everyone jumped in, all talking at once about their favourite part of the festivities

_Thank goodness_

_No one had noticed.._

 

_?_

 

Xiumin was staring at him with one eyebrow quirked, his expression one of total curiosity

‘Aahh..ah..’ As Sehun blushed and stumbled over his words, unable to think of anything to say, his look was replaced by a knowing one ‘Eee- eehh~~’ the drawn out note carried a distinct quality of teasing, and he laughed, puffing up his cheeks, and tapping his nose  
 ‘Ah! No, it’s..’  
‘It’s alright, it’s alright!’ Xiumin laughed loudly, drawing the attention of the rest of the crowd  
‘Eh? What are you guys talking about?’ Lu Han turned to Xiumin from where he had been arguing with Yuuna about exactly which patisserie had the best Christmas cakes

‘Absolutely nothing!’ Sehun vehemently stated ‘But isn’t the usual plum cake rather cliché?’

‘Yes, exactly!! That’s what I think too!’ Yuuna jumped in, falling for Sehun’s red herring, and fortunately driving Luhan’s attention away

 

Unable to hold out any longer, Sehun finally bid his goodbyes at 6:45pm, and made his way home…But when he got there, his apartment lay quiet and cold, with no sign of Tao anywhere.

Sighing, he let himself in, and spent the rest of the evening lounging around aimlessly, starting in anticipating at every little sound, then falling back in disappointment

 

This frustration persisted all week – Tao now had practice every morning, so they couldn’t see each other till classes started.. Tao of course, keeping up with teasing Sehun no end all during the lectures, driving him thoroughly crazy with his sexy whispering – but everytime Sehun thought of grabbing him as soon as the bell rang for break, or lunch, or at the end of the day, something would come up – Bo Xian and Chan Ye and the rest of the club members took to gathering around Tao’s table every chance they got, discussing strategies, and moves, and planning routines.. just when they left, Mai would take their place, discussing the upcoming Winter Festival

 

It was an annual event held at their school, and was apparently a big deal, with each class putting up shows and events, and running stalls… for this one day, all rules were relaxed, and the doors opened to the public, and over the years, it had become one of the most looked forward to affairs of the neighbourhood  
The programme, the stalls – everything had to be approved and coordinated by the School Council, (of which Tao was arguably the most important part) beforehand, and all the advertising, assigning of places to each class, scheduling of events, and making sure everyone was happy with their allocations numbered among their duties.  Even coordinating the tie ups with the local businesses and organising the stalls for the local merchants associations, setting up the special Event website etc were part of the tasks they had to handle, and Tao had also been named head of the Decoration Committee for some reason  
As a result, every second he wasn’t practicing with the club, he was caught up in the preparations - while the class programmes hadn’t even begun to be decided or even discussed yet, the advance prep had begun in full force, conducted by the Council, and every single idea, decision or undertaking was first (and, it seemed to Sehun, secondly, and thirdly) run by Tao for his approval, and every little hitch brought to him for a solution

 

As Tuesday turned to Wednesday, Sehun felt like all he did was sigh – everytime someone else came up to Tao, asking about this, that or the other..He had even stopped teasing Sehun, spending all his time during lectures desperately taking notes, knowing he wouldn’t have time to study in the evening like he usually did..

 

_Taotao looks so tired, ne~~_

 

It was like no one could see the circles around his eyes progressively darkening, and how he skipped lunch every day  – and since he was coming to school so early in the morning, was he even getting breakfast??

 

It was an unusual feeling that pervaded Sehun now..he wasn’t used to worrying about Tao like this, worrying about such things – it was always the other way around, right?!  _TAO_ was the worrier, and  _he_ was the worry-ee

But now, he was  _really_ close to bursting out at the next person who came up to demand Tao’s attention, Tao’s help, Tao’s approval – he wanted to shout at all of them, ‘Can’t you see how swamped he is, can’t you see he is so tired, leave him the fuck alone for two minutes, for crying out loud!!’

 

But he couldn’t, could he..

 

All he could do was not be any more demanding, to smile, and wish him luck every time Tao leaned forward to whisper those words he knew were coming – ‘Sorry, Hunnah, today I can’t…’

To reply to Tao’s hurried texts with only a word, and not initiate any conversation…

 

All he could do was try his best not to be an added burden..

 

All he could do was sit there and sigh.

 

 

 

It was past 11 o’clock when Sehun reached home on friday evening, one week later – unbearable as it was to get back early, and then sit around waiting for Tao, who never showed,  he’d taken to purposely staying out later and later -  It was one of the advantages of living alone, right, there was no one around to enforce any sort of curfew..  
The others had gone home hours before, even Lu Han, who, reluctant to leave him alone, had stuck around past two phone calls from home, had finally been persuaded to leave – Sehun knew he would be in enough shit as is, his dad, a colonel in the army, was super strict about this sort of thing

He’d spent the rest of the night wandering around alone through the city, the snow falling lightly over the walkways and cobbled streets, that gradually fell silent, the hustle and bustle of the pre Christmas market districts fading away, as everyone packed up and went home, calling out cheery goodnights to each other..

The snow traced the dark shadows around the half built Christmas trees in the plazas, and the overly jovial music that sounded faintly from somewhere in the distance

Inevitably, he’d found his footsteps leading him to the spot at the crest of the hill

_Their Spot.._

 

The lights that usually blazed out through the town seemed a little dimmer tonight.. the sea that usually rimmed the iridescently sparkling city in exhilarating mystery seemed oppressive and heavy, its darkness striking him as ominous

Even the wind gently lifting his hair seemed strangely cruel…

 

_Aahh~~ I really miss Taozi…._

 

Annoyed with himself, he had quickly tried to stifle the thought – Tao was working so hard, pushing himself every day, doing his absolute best – he shouldn’t be selfish now, right?

 

‘Alright!’ Drawing a deep breath, using the sharply jabbing icy air filling his lungs to push down his errant thoughts of calling Tao, or at least texting him, killing that all encompassing desire to see him, even if for a little bit, Sehun had turned around, making his way home

 

The house was, as usual, wreathed in silence and darkness, the street lamp outside pooling frigid light over the sparkling snow, making the gloom mantling his house seem that much darker

Sighing yet again, Sehun climbed the two little steps wearily, pulling out his key

 

‘Huh!’

The door was unlocked, opening easily when he placed his palm against the cold wood

‘Damn!’ this was the third time he’d done this.. somehow, without Tao around, without their usual goodnight texts, he’d been unable to fall asleep till the early hours of the morning, making him oversleep everyday, and having to run out in the morning in full panic, so it was no surprise he kept forgetting to lock the door

 

Stepping in, he pulled off his jacket, and let it drop to the floor along with his bag, turning to lock the door firmly behind him, before making his way to his bedroom

The curtains hung still, and the room was pitch black, so dark, he couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face.. it seemed to drum his general feeling of despondency even deeper, and feeling too drained to even turn the lights on, he made his way to where he knew his bed was, planning to go right to sleep – but –

 

‘Oof!!’ His breath catching in surprise, he tumbled to the floor, having tripped over something right in the middle of room

 

Something warm, and somewhat squishy…

 

That was all the impression Sehun got, before he opened his mouth as wide as possible,  
and SCREAMED.

 

 

 

 

 

‘He..ere’ Sniffling, and rubbing his nose with the long sleeve of his oversized pullover, Sehun handed Tao the cup of hot tea  
Still yawning, Tao looked at it blankly for a bit, before his eyes focused, and he took it from him with both hands  
‘thank you’ he jerked his head politely

The silence deepened, broken only by the slight slurping sounds as Tao sipped the tea.

Sehun, who had sat down beside him on the bed, shuffled his feet nervously, trying to fill the void

It was the first time in two weeks that they’d managed to get any time together…

Of course things would be a little bit awkward..

 

But…

 

Seriously…

 

This was just…

 

‘But why-‘  
‘You were– ‘  
They both started at the exact same moment, and broke off hurriedly  
‘You first’ Tao motioned to Sehun with the empty cup

‘Why were you sleeping on the floor, though?’  Sehun, blushing, blurting out the only thing he could think of

‘Aahh…’ Flustered, Tao rubbed the back of his head with one hand  
‘I don’t really know… I was just so tired..and…

I mean, I didn’t even know how tense I’d been, ya know? But when I step in here, its like I can finally relax, and…’

Bushing harder, his voice trailed off, and Sehun giggled

‘Shuttup’ Tao growled, turning his face away

Just like that, Sehun felt all the anxiety and apprehension and awkwardness drain away, the stress of the past few days disappearing in an instant  
Laughing now, he cuddled into Tao, burying his head into the crook of his neck

‘Oh’

Tao wrapped his arm around him, pulling him closer

 

It felt so good..

 

After all this while…

 

It felt, for both of them, like they’d finally come home

 

The warmth wrapping around them was the first time in two weeks that either of them felt anything other than complete chill

‘Hello Sehun.’ Tao whispered, reaching to rub his face against Sehun’s, his voice in the familiar intimate tones he used when they lay in bed together, the one that always made Sehun feel like he was weaving a secret magic place just for the two of them  
Tilting slightly to press his lips to Tao’s Sehun whispered back  
‘Hello Zitao’

 

When they broke away from their kiss, both of them were grinning whole heartedly, feeling happy and thoroughly secure and calm for the first time in days 

 

Tao laced their fingers together, raising Sehun’s hands to his lips like he’d done so many times before..

But right now, it felt so new..and so nostalgic at the same time, Sehun’s breath hitched

 

‘I missed you’

‘Me too, Taotao’

‘Hmmph…’

‘Wha-??!’ Sehun sat up, eyes wide at Tao’s suddenly gelid voice

‘..No..thing..’

‘Taozi!!’

‘Well… I just thought…’

‘ _what?’_

 _‘_ Well… you were busy having fun with your friends and stuff, right? I mean, its totally fine, I’m not  _blaming_ you or anything like that..

I mean…obviously, its not your fault, I’m not that much of a presence, that when I’m not around-’

 

‘Tao, seriously, what are you saying!?’

 

Sehun pulled away, to look at Tao properly, taking in the drawn look in his eyes and the thinning of his lips as he worried at them with his teeth

 

‘Well… I mean.. you didn’t even talk to me, or reply to my texts..or.. I mean, every time I said something, you’d just hum in response..or…

 

Whenever I looked for you, you were off somewhere with your gang, and-‘

 

His words cut off as Sehun slammed a pillow into his face

 

‘Are you  _stupid_??!!!!!!!!!! Of course I tried to stay away, to get out of your way!!!!!!!!!!!! Even if no one else could apparently see it, I know how hard you’ve been working!!!!!!!! Everyday you’re at it from early in the morning all day long, Wushu, council, festival, practice…everybody in the entire school seems to be after your life and…

Theres no  _way_ I can add to that, can i??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you have any idea how difficult its been for me to stop myself from texting you every second, from turning around in class to tell you something….  
Even to get the chance to just  _look_ at you properly…

I missed you SO SO SO much!!!!

But I had to bear it, coz the  _last_ thing I want is to be a burden to you..

On top of everything else,  _i_  CANNOT be a burden to you!!!!’

Sehun was yelling, his hands fisting in indignation, but gradually, his voice lowered, as his words started breaking up…  
Sobs hitching through him, he whispered  
‘I couldn’t  _bear_ it if you started thinking of me like that..’

 

‘Ohh!! Are  _you_ stupid??!! Theres NO way I’d think of you like that is there?????!!!! On the contrary, its only the thought of you that helps me relax at all, it’s the only thing that makes me think I can deal with everything else!!!!!

When I think ‘ah, I can tell Hunnie about this later’ or ‘Sehun would  _definitely_ laugh if he heard this’, then..i feel like I can get through anything, ya know??!!

 'Sehun would  _love_ this stall....He'd  _definitely_  wanna see this sort of thing...' when i imagine how you'd feel watching the shows, i actually  _enjoy_  planning the programmes and events, and lining them up perfectly... for the first time, its not just work, ya know??!!!

Coz..i know the audience will include  _you_

that's why i..wanted to discuss everything with you...i wanted to tell you all about everything we're planning...

and....

..And....the wushu???!!!  every second i'm practicing..every moment i'm sparring or going through my drills, i feel like... if i win...  
 _If i make it through_.. then..you'd be proud...  
like one of those martial arts actors you're so fond of...  
i don't care how hard i have to work if i can become someone  _you_  can admire like that!!!'

 

 

For a frozen moment, both of them stared blankly at each other

 

The next instance, they erupted into gales of laughter, so hard that tears started running from Tao’s eyes, and Sehun clutched his sides, unable to breathe

 

‘Oh…my..go..od…’  
‘you are..such..an..idiot’  
‘Haaa??!! The idiot is  _you_ right!’  
This set them off into another bout of helpless laughter, till finally, totally spent, they fell back into the bed side by side, gasping and panting for air  
As their breathing quietened, they gradually linked hands, twining their fingers together, their arms just grazing each other

‘We still..have a ways to go, ne..’ Tao observed  
‘Hmm.’ Sehun nodded in agreement.

It was so thoroughly stupid..yet… they kept missing each other, somehow, like his hand that he reached out to Tao kept closing on empty air..

It should have felt painful..

Yet, lying here with him like this now..

It just felt  _utterly_  exciting

Like a journey they were going on, just the two of them.. their own secret path they were adventuring on…

Learning more about each other everyday..facing the outside together..

_It made his heart pound in gleeful anticipation!!_

 

‘Is it ok?’

‘Hmm..?’  
Tao quirked a lazy eyebrow at Sehun

‘To stay this late..dont you have to get home?’

‘It’s fine, its fine, I told Mom I’d be staying with you’ Tao waved him off as a ginormous yawn hit him  
‘Sorry, sorry..’ He said finally, just before yawning widely again, making Sehun giggle

‘Idiot… do you want something to eat?’

‘Mm-mm’ Tao shook his head in refusal, turning on his side to pull Sehun closer  
‘So..how was your week?’

‘ _Idiot!_ What are you tryina make conversation for, when you’re so tired?! Go to sleep!!’ Sehun scolded, while stroking his hair

‘I’m not making conversation, I really wanna know!! Its been so long since we spoke…  
Besides, how can I go to sleep, after getting my hands on you after all this while..  
 _Finally_..’  
He circled Sehun’s waist with his palms flat over his skin, in demonstration, making Sehun wiggle as he traced over his ticklish spots

‘ _Stahp!_ Don’t be silly, I’m not going anywhere, sleep for now, ne~’

Tao protested with an incoherent mumble, burying his face in Sehun’s neck, his breathing evening out in seconds

Sehun clicked his tongue, ‘ _Honestly!’_  pushing his hand under Tao’s shirt, he stroked gently over his back, trying to do the same thing Tao did for him, marking smooth little circles – he had never experienced anything more relaxing or comfortable or soothing, and he wanted to make Tao feel the same way  
‘He’s totally working himself to the ground, this idiot.. Lu Han was saying it was the same last year – everyone dumped all their work on ‘Zitao-jun’ and it ended up being the best Fes to date, so theyr doing the same thing again this year, only the tournament has been postponed a month this year, so its at the same time – ‘

His words cut off as Tao pulled away from him, turning around so his back was to him  
‘Eeehh…is that so…’

Sehun chuckled ‘I thought you were asleep already!  
……  
..  
But, yeah, Lu Han said that – ah, don’t worry, I didn’t make it obvious that I was asking about you or anything, i only vaguely mentioned the crowds around my table in class..  
So Lu Han was telling me about how you managed everything last year too…’

‘Eeeh’ Tao repeated his earlier exclamation, the underlay of sarcasm in his voice even more evident now ‘ _Lu Han_ said that, huh..’

‘……..yeah?! so? Hone-estly Taotao, what the hell is up with you, about him? Every time I say something even remotely touching on Lu you get totally snarky…’

Even as Sehun spoke, he could see Tao’s back stiffening

‘ _Eeehh._ It’s ‘Lu’ is it~~’

‘… Ta-aoo?? Did you guys fight or something??!’

‘ _Fight_? With..’Lu’?? Not at all!’

 

For a moment, Sehun just stared bewildered, at Tao’s immobile back

Even at his worst, Tao was never rude..or mean…or…

This was so unlike him! What in the world…

 

 

Then, like stills from a movie, enclosed in a picture frame, he suddenly remembered a number of similar occasions

When this had happened before…

Things that had puzzled him in the same way before…

 

‘ _OMG, You’re Jealous_!!’ Like fractured puzzle pieces finally falling into place, at that moment, everything turned crystal clear

‘AM NOT!!’ Tao growled annoyed, and stuffed his face deeper into the pillow

 

‘Omg, you’re  _jealous~~_ Jealous jealous jealous~~!!’ Singing the words happily, Sehun half climbed over Tao, draping himself over him to try to see his face

‘ _Shuttup!’_

 _‘_ Eeeh~~ the great Wushu captain is  _jealous.._ of Lu han!!  
Hahahahha, omg,  _Luhan??!! Seriously??!!’_

Tao only mumbled incoherently, burrowing deeper and deeper into the covers – but Sehun could still see his bright red ears clearly

‘Bwahahaha, omg, seriously, are you that worried about me..’

‘ _Haaa??!!!! Worried about you_??!! Tao plunged upright, making Sehun topple right over him, to land on the other side of the bed.  
‘Ha! As if!! I’d be  _glad_ if someone would take you off my hands, you’re so troublesome!!’ Tao grumbled, turning over, to present his back to Sehun again

 

‘Aahhh..is that so~~

Alrighty then’  
Sehun pulled out his phone, flicking it open. Soon the beep beep bop of his fingers pressing the keypad could be heard, as he typed slowly in concentration, reading out as he did so

‘Lu-Lu… Are…you..free…now..question mark….

Can..you..meet..me…comma…i…really..want..to..see..you… - OYY!!’

 

Tao grabbed the phone away from him, and turned back quickly, making to erase the text…

Then stopped, clicking his tongue in exasperation as he realised Sehun hadn’t really been typing anything at all

 

‘AH-HA!’ Climbing over him to straddle him, Sehun pointed a finger right in his face

‘SO you  _are_ jealous!!’

 

Blushing fiery, Tao covered his face with both hands, while Sehun fought to lower them

 

 

After the resulting wrestling match, leaving both of them panting and collapsed into the bed in a tangled heap, Sehun lightly reached to trace Tao’s jawline with one finger

‘You know you’re a total idiot…I’d never even  _look_ at anyone else like that….

 

You  _do_ know it, right…’

 

Grunting, Tao pulled his face into his chest

‘Ye…ah..’

His voice rumbled through Sehun, who smiled, and cuddled in

‘You’re the only one I love….you’re the only one I’d  _ever_  be in love with’

He whispered the words against Tao’s chest, and he could swear he almost heard him purr in response

‘Me too.’ Tao planted a kiss on the top of his head

 

 

‘Ne…’ Sehun broke the warm silence a few minutes later

‘Hmm?’

‘Theres something I’ve been wanting to ask…’

‘Oh?’

‘Yeah…see…’

 

Sehun fiddled nervously with the buttons on Tao’s shirt..it was something that had been on the back of his mind for days..but..he was a bit worried about how Tao would take it…

 

‘What is it? Spit it out!’ Tao chuckled

 

‘Will you promise to agree?’

 

‘That depends on what it is!’

 

‘ee~eehh.’ His voice held a distinct pout. ‘Doesn’t Tao trust me?’

 

‘Not one bit.’

 

‘Whaaa~~~~’

 

‘Fine, fine, just tell me already..Oh! I’m telling you straight up though, I’m not dressing up in any weird animal costumes.’

 

‘ _Haa?!_ I wasn’t going to say  _anything_ about any animal costume or whatever…

Though…

Now..that you mention..it… - Ouch!’

 

Tao knocked his fist against Sehun’s head

‘Hurry and tell me’

 

Sehun took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

 

 

 

* * *

_Basi Digua  - _Basi digua is a hot candied sweet potato chip. Before putting the potato into your mouth, you need to dip it into a bowl of water to get rid of the sugar silk and cool the sugar coating to make it crisp. 

It’s part of Lu Cai or Shandong Cai (Shandong Ciusine)

(Shandong is the province of which Qingdao is a part)


	13. Chapter Thirteen

‘Canicomencheerforyou’

‘Huh!?’

‘Canicomeandcheerforyou??’

 

‘…Ahh…Hunnie, sorry, I meant to tell you earlier..but….  
…….  
...the thing is…  
…..  
I don’t speak Alien.’

Sehun punched Tao’s shoulder in annoyance at his deadpanned oneliner, then drew a deep breath

‘Can..i..come and cheer for you?’  
The third time around, he managed to get the words out in a coherent fashion, and, gasping at his own daring, quickly screwed his eyes up shut tight, not wanting to face Tao

Of course he remembered the last time he’d gone to ‘cheer Tao on’…

_But it was different now, right?_   
_They were different now, right?_

_Besides…_

_Whatever happened…_

_He really really really really DID wanna go and see…_

 

_At the very least, he could ask, right?_

Even before letting the syllables out, Sehun had mentally braced himself for Tao’s refusal…yet,   
a small part of him couldn’t help but hope…

 

Frosty silence descended over the room, that had, just moments before, been lit up with such warmth, stretching and spanning over them like the maw of a living beast

 

As the seconds ticked by, Sehun slowly drew his eyes open.  
‘yeah, as I thought, it’s a no go, right?’  
Tao turned towards him, looking heartbroken.‘Hunnah..i’m..sorry…’

Sehun turned away.

Even though Tao looked so upset..so grief striken..he really didn’t have it in him to smile and nod and say it was fine  
He  _hated_ it  
Of course he understood why it had to be this way..  
But..  
Lately it had really seemed like Tao was opening up his world to him so thoroughly..

Even in class, not avoiding him....or…

Before he got so busy, when they used to go to school together, Tao had even started keeping by his side all the way to their classroom – instead of moving away before reaching the gates!

Kissing him in the middle of the street..

_Kissing him right outside his own house!!_

So it wasn’t really his fault if he began to think that...  
right?

Deep inside, he knew how selfish it was of him to act this way… he knew full well what Tao had at stake..that you like another guy, that you’re dating another guy – these are not things you can just come out and say, and expect to continue living your normal life, right  
Especially someone like Tao…. Someone who held the positions Tao did…

But ….

He couldn’t help it

Because he also knew full well that  _he’_ d throw everything away for Tao’s sake..that if need be, he’d stand against  _anyone,_ give up  _anything_ for the sake of their relationship.  
For him..there was nothing, absolutely nothing, that held a higher significance

Of course it wasn’t the same.. he really didn’t have all that much to lose in this place..this society didn’t matter one bit to him, and even his family was nowhere around to play a part in his decisions

So of course, he had the freedom that Tao didn’t…

_Yet.._

Yet…

 _Yet, for once, I want Tao to pick_ me  _above everything else  
Above everyone else_

That was all….

_I want to know that I’m the most important for him, more than anything and anyone else, I want him to put us, our relationship, first_

_I want to be able to hold his hand whenever I feel like it, I want to be able to talk to him the way I want, without worrying about who will see - Hell, I want to flaunt it in public!!! I_ WANT  _people to look at me, and think ‘Ah, that’s Zitao’s boyfriend’!!!_

_And I want Tao to want that too._

‘Se..hun…hey, Hunnie, look at me’  
Sehun sighed and turned back to face Tao properly, kneeling in the bed, and fisting his hands in his lap  
‘I won’t make it obvious at all – c’mon, there will be loadsa people going from school to watch the tournament, right?? After all, you guys won the prefectural rounds too – I bet there are going to be loadsa supporters even from outside!! No one will even notice, no one will even  _know_ if I join in…

AH! I can even colour my hair black..and..and.. _disguise_ myself or something, to bled in..’

_Can’t I be selfish like this?_

‘I’ll even get a whole crowd to go, I’ll make everyone from our class go, so it totally wouldn’t look suspicious if I was there..  
Hell, in that case, it’d be odd if I  _wasn’t_ ’

_Can’t I be spoilt, just this once?_

‘Se…hu..un..’ Tao looked at him wordlessly, holding his gaze steady, despite his troubled expression  
‘I’m..sorry..  
But…’

‘I gettit.’  
Sehun cut him off, turning away again

He really didn’t want to hear any explanation or excuse at this point

‘Hun-an..’ Tao laid a hand against his shoulder, but right now, it just felt like a weight.  
An uncomfortable, unwanted weight over him

Sehun shrugged him off, climbed out of bed, and stood up, his back to Tao

‘Go to sleep, you’re tired as it is, right? I…  
I’ll just watch something for a bit’  
He gestured to the TV

‘Sehun, wait!’

‘Hmm?’ He turned around, a little flame of hope rising inside his chest

But..

Tao just looked away when their eyes met

………

‘Ah, don’t worry, I’ll put my headphones on, so you won’t be disturbed or anything, just go to sleep..ne?’  
Speaking in patently false cheer, Sehun sketched a weird approximation of a smile, and stepped away

Behind him, he could hear Tao sigh, and gradually, the rustle of the covers as he flopped back into the bed

 

 

For once, Sehun was up earlier than Tao the next morning ( _had he even gone to bed at all?_ ) Watching him move around stiffly as he dressed, Tao felt the guilt ratchet up a notch  
  _He really didn’t know what to say…_  
He knew anything he said at this point would just be empty words..

In silence, he got out of bed, and made his way to the bathroom, only the sound of the shower ricocheting off the walls as he turned it to the highest setting providing any break in the intensely overpowering still.

In silence, he finished bathing, and dressed, and made up sandwiches, passing Sehun a plate without a word, which Sehun, just as wordlessly, refused

They walked to school like that, the silence still reinforcing the wall between them…

 

Even though they were walking side by side, it seemed like they were miles apart

 

Even in class, in neighbouring seats, the distance between them only seemed to grow

 

More than once, Tao opened his mouth to say something, but closed it uselessly. Staring at Sehun’s motionless back, at the curve of his neck, that now seemed so frighteningly alien, he couldn’t find the courage to start a conversation..  
To speak normally….  
By the time the final bell of the day rang, and everyone started milling around, getting ready to head to their clubs, or pulling on their outdoor clothes to go home, he felt he couldn’t take it anymore  
 _Anything!!!_  
 _Say anything.._

_C’mon, anything is fine…I can’t…_

‘Diuzhang!’Bo Xian’s voice rang out, cutting through the pep talk he was trying to give himself  
‘huh?’ Tao’s head snapped up to take in the crowd at the doorway of the class  
‘Diuzhang,  _c’moon_!’  
‘We’re gonna be late!’  
‘Diu~uzhang!’  
Even the first years were there, peering their heads into their seniors’ classroom, calling out for him

‘Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!’ Tao waved a hand at them, and hurriedly gathering up his books, tapped their bottoms on the table to line them up, before stuffing them into his bag  
‘Eerr…’  
Steeling himself, he leaned forward  
‘Se..hun..-‘  
Even as he began in an undertone, Sehun sprang up, the back of his chair jostling Tao’s desk  
‘Lu~~haan!! Let’s go get ice cream!!’  
‘ _Ice cream??!! In this weather?!!’_

‘Seehuun, you’re crazy!’  
‘Se..xiong.. so totally M, ne~’  
‘Shuttup!!’  
‘Sehun, are you serious??!!’  
‘If Sehun’s getting ice cream, I want some too!’  
‘Fine, fine!’ Lu Han sighed, draping his arm around Sehun’s shoulders as he went up to him, amidst the clamour  
‘Let’s go get you some ice cream’  
‘Yehet!! Cho~oco~!’  
Laughing and squealing over how cute Sehun was, the crowd exited the class, Tao’s club mates making room for them as they went by

‘Eeehh~~ I want to go get ice cream too, naa~~’  
‘Diuzhang, can we go, after practice??’  
‘yeah, yeah, let’s go!’  
‘Diuzhang~~ treeaaatt~~’  
Yes!! If i get the side somersault right today, you'll buy me a banana split, right, Diuzhang~'

Tao looked up

Immediately, like a switch being flicked off, a silence fell

‘eerr.. ‘  
Bo Xian nervously rubbed the back of his head at Tao’s expression  
‘Practice!! Let’s go, let’s go we’re going to be late!’ Hurriedly, he turned, and began chivvying everyone out  
‘We’ll start warm up, ne~’  
‘See ya there, Duizhang!’

An eerie chill stretched over the classroom, as the last few stragglers also left

Slowly Tao unclenched his fist and let out a deep breath

_Going for ice cream.._

_It was_ their _thing!!_

 

Ever since that day way back…when they’d just met…

 

So many times, right in the middle of a conversation about something totally unrelated..  
Or when they were cuddling in bed without talking..  
Even once, bursting into the shower while Tao was bathing (he still remembered the smart of the shampoo that had gone into his surprised eyes)  
Sehun would jump on him, cling to him, pout and demand ice cream..  
And Tao would always refuse, just to see him pout and whine harder  
Before giving in… and getting thoroughly petted and kissed in return…

Always it was ‘Choco’..

_Dammit_

Sighing again, he picked up his bag and stood

 

 

‘Stop it! Eat your own!’  
‘Eeehh~Lin is so mean, I just want a taste~~’  
‘Ouch! Brain Freeze, Brain freeze!!’  
‘Eeww!! Go away, Fang, I’m not letting you lick my ice cream!!’  
‘Ne, ne, Lu Han, which flavour did you get?’  
‘Eh? Ah.. pink…something-fruit..somethin..or the other...’  
‘huh?? Don’t you know what you yourself got!’  
‘Ah..ehehe, the names are really long..right..basically, its just berry flavoured….  
wanna taste?’  
‘Ah! Yes! Yes I do!’  
‘Eeehh~~that’s so mean..how come Yuuna gets to share Lu Han’s ice cream?’  
‘That’s right! I want some too!’

As Lu Han disappeared under a gaggle of girls, Sehun sighed –  
And stopped in surprise, as a matching sigh rose from beside him

‘Eeerrm?’  
‘Hmm?  Oh..Sehun!’

Sehun smiled at Xiumin, who just seemed to realise he was there..or at least, he tried to.. but his muscles felt so heavy..  
 _His face itself felt so tired_

He drew another long sigh, and went back to picking bits of chocolate chip out of his ice cream, to drop them on the floor

‘You know..we came coz  _you_ said you wanted ice cream.’  
‘Eeeh?’ Sehun looked up at Xiumin for a moment...then looked back down.‘Aahh..’

‘Sehun. Whats up?’  
‘No-nothing’  
‘if its nothing, why are you making that sort of face?! C’mon, spill!’  
‘Its really nothing! Really! I’m fine!!’  
‘Eeeh~’ Xiumin smiled knowingly  
‘Relationship troubles, huh.’  
 _‘Huh??!’_  
Xiumin just chuckled, and took a big bite out of his banana flavoured cone  
‘So? What happened? I just might be able to help, ya know~~  
And..even if not..  
You’ll feel better telling someone right?’  
Sehun looked at Xiumin, who had his cheeks puffed out, grinning at him

‘H-that is,  _that_ person… I asked if I could do something, and they wouldn’t let me!!’  
The words that had been filling his head, going round and round, just at the tip of his tongue, finally burst out of him suddenly, tripping over themselves.

 

‘Aahh~aah..

well..

Sehun..ya know..people have different levels, ya know? i mean, you might like something..or wanna try something out..but..the other person may not be comfortable doing that, ya know? Even if it feels good for you, it mightn’t for them…or they might not be used to that type of..position, or whatever..or experimenting..  
Like..  
Everyone’s limits – ouch!’

He rubbed his head and looked at Sehun, bemused

‘That’s  _totally_ not..aaargh!!i wasn’t talking about anything like  _that!!’_  
Sehun half-yelled, shaking his fist at him  
‘Eehh~~is~that~so~~’  
‘ _Yeah!!_ Besides, if theres someone who should be complaining about crossing limits like that its  _me!!’_  
 _‘_ So…you are being forced to do things you don’t want?’  
‘nonono!! I mean..that is… ‘forced’ isn’t it..or..i mean..that is to say..its not like I don’t  _want_..that is –  
AH!! This is completely off topic!!!!!’  
Blushing completely red, Sehun spluttered

‘Look, the thing is..i want to be thought of more, ya know? Like…I want him- that is,  _that_  person, to consider me more, ya know? like.. when I ask for something, seriously, to just-’

‘Like…you wanna be spoiled by them?’

‘ _Yes!!_ Exactly!!!’

‘Do whatever you want..take you out..buy you lotsa stuff, things like that? I mean, even if its not super expensive..or..ya know, thoughtful things..stuff like that?’

‘Mm..mm… NO.  
not  _exactly,_ I mean, they already do all that..  
I don’t even have to ask for that!’ He giggled to himself suddenly  
‘If I happen to mention I just  _like_  something, then..well, at the most a day later, its mine!!  
Even if its something i was just commenting on in passing..  
  
Bringing me bubble tea every time, coz he knows its my favourite..  
Or taking me out, or spending as much time as possible with me, despite working him- _themselves_ to the bone…’  
Sehun’s voice turned thoughtful, his eyes boring into the ground like he could see something there  
‘Sharing really really personal stuff that they would never tell anyone else..or -  
Treating me like I’m super strong, like I’m super dependable, ya know?? And at the same time, super…  
Like..  
 _Precious,_ or something..  
That sort of ‘spoiling’ he- _that_ person already does more than enough, ya know? Ah!’ He looked up, his face turning totally animated for the first time that day, his eyes sparkling lively, a naturally iridescent smile tugging at his lips  
‘One time, I just happened to mention I felt like eating those corn dogs you get in those microwavable packs?? And it was  _really_ late at night – remember, 2…..2 and a half weeks ago, when it was snowing really hard, and they closed off the bus lines?  He-I mean,  _that_ person waited till I was asleep, coz I’d have stopped him otherwise, obviously, and actually went scouring all over the city for it!!’

‘Eeeh~~’

‘ _Yeah!_ And the  _idiot_ , like, he wakes me up at 5 in the morning,  _totally_ drenched, and still half covered in snow, holding this one packet he’d managed to find in some hole in the wall that was still open?’  
Sehun laughed at the memory, before his expression settled into the fondest smile

 ‘…. _And?_ ’

‘Huh?’ Snapping up, he suddenly realised he had been speaking out loud all this while

‘Where exactly are you going with this sort of impossibly romantic fairy tale??!!’

‘No, no, its not..like..that’ Sehun frowned again, at Xiumin’s exasperated face

‘I just can’t understand what you’d have to complain about in all this..i mean, I take it you  _were_ going to complain about something, and not just espousing randomly on how awesome that person is?’

‘Shuddduup.’ Pouting, Sehun turned away  
‘I just… I just want them to think of me as something more important, ya know?  
I want them to consider me, and the relationship, as something that is more important to them.’

‘I see…like, you want to be their ‘number one’, that sort of thing?’

‘ _Yes!_ ’  
With unseeing eyes, Sehun watched Lin and Yuuna argue over something, on either side of Lu Han, who was ignoring them totally in favour of his berry ice  
‘That’s it  _exactly_ ’

‘Hmm…well..  
Well, where do you think you stand now?’

‘Huh??’

‘You want the first position, right?? Where do you think you stand now?  
For instance, would you say, they think of you just one step below they think of themselves?’

‘…n-no….’

‘oh?’

‘Umm..i probably rank higher to him than himself…’Sehun pursed his lips, frowning in concentration

‘Eehhh~~is that so?’

‘Umm!’ Nodding, in confidence, Sehun looked Xiumin straight in the face

‘Well, then, would you say you rank just below his family?’

Sehun turned his mind over everything he knew about Tao  
‘Ye..eah..something like that…somewhere at the same level, or something…’

‘Soo..  
in short, you’re already at number one??’

‘......but,  _Xiumin_!!’

‘I gettit, i gettit, you want the  _only_ number one spot? You want to rank higher than anyone - even if that happens to be his family’

‘I…’

_That’s right._

 

_No..wait..i don’t…_

 

‘You want them to do the whole ''abandon their family for you'' thing… '' _turn away from the family for your sake..''_ like that?’  
Xiumin chuckled  
‘What, is the family that awful..’

‘No!!’ Sehun snapped at him in confusion  
‘No, no, theyr  _really_ nice..theyr super caring, and they love him more than anything, and he loves them too..i mean.. sometimes he grumbles a bit..but..  
Ya know..’

‘And you?’

‘Huh?? Me..  
With them?? No, no, they’re  _really_ nice to me, too!! All the time!!Even though I’m basically  _nobody_ to them!’ Sehun spoke vehemently  
‘I mean..I’ve met them  _once_ , but even weeks later, they still send food for me, treats and snacks, and…  
More than that..  
More than anything, they trust him with me, ya know?? I don’t know all the details exactly, but my impression is that he is really  _super_  sheltered.. they wouldn’t just let him spend all his time with just anyone..  
Or…  
Like, stay over so often??  
I don’t know why..there’s no reason to, after all.. but..they trust me with him-I mean,  _that person.._  
Coz he’s a total ‘young master’….And..

  
Somehow..I really love them too, I think…  
Hehe, there’s no particular reason for me to, either..but.. ’Sehun’s words faded softly

‘….. so?’

‘huh?’

‘So, you  _don’t_ want to ‘’replace his family in his affections’’?’

‘no..no I don’t’ As soft as his voice was, it was also steady and sure. ‘I wouldn’t have them hurt like that for anything in the world’

‘Then?’

 

‘…….

………………

Xiumin! Excuse me a moment!!’  
Springing up, Sehun handed his mostly uneaten ice cream to Xiumin, flicking open his phone, and hurried away, running down the short flight of stairs beside the giant snowcone cut-out to find a quiet corner

Xiumin watched the brilliantly multicoloured head disappearing with a smile on his face  
‘You’re welcome’ he grinned softly to himself, as his eyes turned back to the shop front, where Rina was blushing as Lu Han took a bite out of the ice cream cone she held in trembling hands

                      Gradually, the smile faded from his lips, and he sighed again

 

‘Aaargh!’ Sehun kicked at a stone on the pavement, and hit ‘redial’ again

………

…….

 

It was no use, it rang and rang, but there was no answer

Groaning, he flicked over to the ‘messages’, and scrolled down to Tao’s name  
‘Call… me… as… soon as-  
Aarggh!’  
Pausing midway, he snapped the phone off without sending anything

_Its no use_

_i really wanna hear his voice_

He switched the phone on again, and hit Tao’s  number

‘Seehuuunn!!’  
‘Eh?’  
Sticking his head out from under the awning, the dialling phone in his hand, he looked up, to see everyone leaning down over the railing outside the ice cream shop, to call out at him  
‘Seehuun, what are you doin~~’  
‘Sexiong, we’re ordering second rounds, ne, what do you want?’  
‘hehehe, he’s definitely gonna say ‘choco’ again, right?’  
'Lol, yeah!! Whats the point in even asking~'  
‘Sehun, sehun, what are you doing down there?’  
‘Fang! Gerroff me!’  
‘Huuhh? I wasn’t even  _touching_ you!’  
‘Sehun! Come up here!’  
‘Sehun, shall I order you another chocolate chip?’

‘ _Hello!! Hello?!!’_

 _‘_ Crap!’  
Suddenly realising Tao’s voice was coming from his phone, Sehun slammed it against his ear, only to be met with the oddly hilarious sounds of his deafeningly loud ‘Heelloooo!’s followed by whispered ‘Sehun!’’Hunah!!’  
  _He must still be with his club, that’s why he can’t say my name out loud.._

It felt like a load had been lifted off his shoulders, like he’d suddenly been freed from something tying him down tightly

Coz he didn’t mind anymore

 

That it was a secret was a given, right?

That it  _had_ to be kept hidden

 

Why in the world had he even been upset over this!!??

_Of course its unthinkable to make Tao go through what he'd have to, if we were found out!!!_

_How could i even possibly consider...  
for even a moment _...

 

it felt so free!!  
even the sudden cold trickles of guilt pooling in the pit of his stomach..  
somehow..  
felt like an escape from the awful feelings that had been filling him till now

‘Heelllloooo-‘  
‘Taozi!’  
‘ _Sehun, what the hell, ho-‘_  
Sorry, sorry, Taotao, listen, I need to see you!’  
‘Huuhhhh??’Even covered under the layer of surprise, Tao's voice held an unmistakable core of relief  
‘I know you’re at club now, I don’t mean  _right now_ , but can you come by later?’  
‘Eerr-‘  
‘ _I know_  you cant stay over two nights in a row, its fine, but,  just for a bit? Just a little bit,  _I really wanna see you_!’  
‘Of course, gottit, Alright!! see you in like, a couple of hours, then?’  
‘Umm!! See ya!’

‘Luuhan!!’  
Flicking his phone off with an extremely satisfied grin, he started up the stairs  
‘I want a triple scoop of Chocolate chip, with chocolate sauce, and sprinkles!!’  
His thoroughly happy voice resounded through the night, that suddenly seemed to become that much more beautiful.

 

 

 

‘Tao.’

 

‘Zitao.’

 

‘ _Taotao!’_

Sehun poked a finger into Tao’s smoothly bulging arm, where he had it wrapped around his chest.‘You have to go home’

‘Hmmm..’

‘Don’t ‘Hmm’ me! Get up!!’

Tao sleepily raised himself up halfway, then flopped back down, pulling Sehun under him, and cuddling him tightly again  
‘5 more minutes’

‘ _Ta-ao!!’_

Grinning, Sehun ruffled his hair teasingly, then slowly moved to stroking his neck

 

It had been reminded him of the first time…the very first time he and Tao had...

He’d been home for hardly 10 mins when Tao’d rang the bell.Running to open it, he’d been super nervous, but totally ready to apologize properly – he’d been practicing the words over and over in his head all evening, so much so that when he opened the door, the first words out of his mouth had been – ‘Tao, I’m really sor-‘  
Thinking back, Sehun chuckled out loud at the memory.  
He hadn’t been able to get any more out, before Tao’d slammed him against the door  
Soflty whispering he loved him, before plundering into his mouth

_well..of course, there were some significant differences as compared to then_

Sighing with total self satisfaction, he stretched languorously, sliding his foot up and down the insides of Tao’s legs. ‘Zi~itao~ Wa~ake up~’ He sang right in his ear  
‘Its not even been 5 mins yet!!’  
‘fine, fine’ Wriggling out from under him, Sehun stood up, and, pulling on Tao’s Tee shirt – he’d showed up in his practice/gym clothes – made his way to the kitchen

‘Taozi! I thought you wanted to sleep!’  
Sehun exclaimed, less than a minute later, when those strong muscled arms wrapped tight around him from behind, and Tao’s familiar lips nuzzled against his neck  
‘Yeah, but its less appealing when you’re not there’

 _yup.._ definitely  _different._

‘..Idiot!’Sehun blushed, and hit Tao over the knuckles with the spoon. ‘Here’  
‘Hmm?’  
‘Co-coa~ C’mon, drink up, it’ll wake you up’  
‘Eehh’ Tao peered with one eye at the cup Sehun was holding up  
‘Is that the best way to ‘wake me up’ that you can come up with..’Tao sighed exaggeratedly  
‘… _Idiot!!’_  
Sehun wriggled out of his grasp, turning to the-  
‘Oyy!!’  
‘What?’

‘Not ‘what’, you idiot, what are you doing??!’  
‘Eehh..i’m just taking my shirt back..after all, you’re the one who is so determined to drive me off, right..’  
‘But..just..aargh!’  
Tossing his head in exasperation (or so he thought, but actually, he just looked thoroughly pleased), Sehun firmly stepped out of Tao’s reach, and pulled open the fridge  
‘Here..’  
‘Whats this?’  
‘Ice cream. For you to take home..theres enough for everyone’

For a long instance, there was silence, as Sehun shuffled shyly, keeping his eyes fixed at his feet, one hand outstretched with a plastic carry bag of assorted tubs of ice cream

‘What!? Take it!!’ Unable to take the lack of response, Sehun shook the bag impatiently, while still looking everywhere but at Tao

‘Hmm-mm’ Tao shook his head, and stepped upto him, taking the bag, and leaning to capture his lips in one smooth movement  
As Sehun gasped, he deepened the kiss, cupping the back of his head with his free hand, and tilting it upward, kissing him more thoroughly..  
More possessively  
More completely than ever before

Helplessly, Sehun’s hands fisted against his chest, his body raising on the tips of his toes, his mind gradually feeling like it was slipping away from the onslaught of heat spreading through his every last nerve

Gradually, though, as Tao softened his lips against his, gently, tenderly…

Breaking away slowly, only to reach for him again..

The urgent fire settled into a warm light swelling in his chest, like a rainbow coloured glass sending patterned shadows through his heart

The feeling persisted even as he curled his bare feet against the step outside his house, waving goodbye to Tao till he was completely out of sight..

As he straightened up the hallway

And went back to the kitchen to grab the last slice of pizza left over from the day before, placing it in a saucer to carry back into the bedroom

As he finished eating, and switched off the sitcom he hadn’t really been watching anyway

As he finally snuggled into bed, cuddling into Tao’s tee  (he’d just worn his uniform shirt when he left), and pulling it up halfway over his face so he could breathe into it, drenching himself in that incredibly delicious scent that was Tao’s…

And slowly drifted off to sleep, only to snap awake with a grin as his phone buzzed from the nightstand

'Goodnight Sehunnie~ I love you!!'

'Honestly...the idiot..he should just go to sleep, his dark circles are going to get even worse' Grumbling away happily, he started typing out his reply, when the phone vibrated abruptly again, cutting him off.

 'Huh?'

'Oh, btw, i 4got 2 tell u, bt i tlkd 2 te cheer club, n te studnt council, we'r gonna gt a bunch of ppl to cm support fr te tournament..  
i'v already arrangd fr transport etc fr every1 hu wnts te cm n stuff...  
So..u can too, of course'

_'Huuuuhhhhhhhh??!!'_


	14. Chapter Thirteen and A Half ~ Side Short

It was uncomfortable

 

_Seriously, man, was it uncomfortable!_

 

He smiled and laughed and talked to everyone like normal – perfectly like normal, but something felt oddly  _off_  
Like he’d missed a step going down a flight of stairs or something

Oh well, he wasn’t the type to let something vague like that get under his skin or whatever

 

_But_

 

 

‘Goodnight, guys!’  
‘Goodnight!’  
‘Sweet dreams~’  
‘See you tomorrow, ne~~’  
‘Byebye Lu Han!’  
‘Thank you for the treat, Luhan!’  
‘Umm!No problem!!’  
‘See ya! Take care going home!!’

As the last fur clad backs disappeared, fluffy mufflers trailing behind them, and their voices still echoing in bright sparkles in the wind, he heaved a sigh  
‘Aah~ah’ Stretching  his hands above his head with his fingers interlocked, he popped his shoulders

 

_Finally_

 

Finally…he felt a little bit relaxed..for the first time that day…

 

‘Luhan?’  
‘Mm?’  
‘What’s with you?’  
‘ _Hmm_?’  
‘You’ve been weird all day’  
‘..Nonono itsnothing, no I’m perfectly normal!!’ Waving his hands in front of his face in denial, he beamed at Xiumin

‘Eeehh~~’

‘Huh!? Whats with that disbelief!!’ He punched him lightly. ‘I  _am_ perfectly fine!!’

_It was true though..he DID feel suddenly totally normal_

 

‘Well..if you say so..’

 

They started walking side by side, turning their steps down the usual paths almost unconsciously, so familiar were they..  
Chatting normally, totally mundane stuff, like they always did…every day…

 

But.. somehow, his mind kept drifting

 

In broken bits and pieces.

_Back..._

He had been halfway through primary school when they came to Qingdao. Till then – well, he didn’t remember it all that well, but his dad was in the army, and that meant moving around constantly… he supposed he had had friends or something like that..but really..who could remember all that way back…

It was around the same time that they moved here, though, that it started

_‘Omg, what a pretty little child!!’_   
_‘Whats your name little one?’_   
_‘She’s so cute!!’_

Even though he kept saying it over and over – ‘I’m a boy!! I’m a boy!!’ it was like he was voiceless..like no one could even hear him – they just kept on petting him, and praising his face

_‘Ah! Your daughter is so pretty!!’_

His teachers would even ask him, especially only him, to be careful during PE, so he wouldn’t get hurt  
‘ _It will be a problem if he scratches his face right’_  
 _Yes, yes, we definitely can’t let that happen’_  
It doesn’t matter though..

They would even tell the other kids to be ‘careful with Lu Han’

Playing in the park, the older girls would catch hold of him, and tie his hair up in bunches with frilly scrunchies, and dress him up  
‘ _She’s so pretty, she’s definitely going to be a real beauty one day!’_  
 _‘She looks so cuuutee!!’_  
 _‘Ne, ne, try this one, its pink, it will definitely suit her’_  
But I’m a boy  
‘ _See?!! Didn’t I tell you so, omg, she looks too adorable!!’_  
No, I don’t look ‘cute’!!!!  
‘ _Hey! I have some lip gloss here, I bet it will look good on her!!!’_  
I hate this

I hate this

 

I HATE THIS

His parents would laugh and tell him it didn’t matter..it was fine, right?  
It just meant that everyone liked him..  
He should be happy

They all treated him differently

Even the other kids… in his class, the neighbourhood children..  
They all acted like he was weak..like he couldn’t do anything…

‘ _Luhan can’t play with us!’_  
 _‘Yeah! We’ll get into trouble if something happens!’_  
 _‘Luhan should just sit over there’_

_‘Luhan… I think you’re really pretty..’_

_‘Luhan can’t climb up here!!’_   
_‘Just…wait for us, okay?’_   
_‘here! You can hold this!Keep it safe till we come back, okay?’_

_‘Luhan – I got this for you…it’s a special cake from my grandmom’s..you like sweet things right?’_  
Stop it

Don’t look at me like that

I’m a boy

 

I’m a boy!!!  
He pounded the ball into the wall

He’d found the soccer ball the others had left behind in the park after they went home  
 _He’d wanted to play too!!  
He’d really wanted to play so bad.._

He loved soccer – loved watching it, loved talking about it, loved hearing his dad talk about this team, or that player, which manager was good, and who had the better coach..

Just thinking about playing..receiving a header from a teammate..driving the ball past the defenders, and sinking it right into the net..  
Running as hard as he could across the green, till his legs gave way…

Even just thinking about it made his heart beat faster, and his breath catch

Watching them pull up their socks, and tie their laces  
High five each other as they stepped onto  the field, and the cheers rose from everyone in the crowd   
 _The team_

I want to be part of that too!!

But everytime the others played…

It was useless no matter how much he asked...how much he begged  
 _Please let me play too!!!_  
 _I don’t want to sit out, or ‘cheer’!!_

 

 

Thwack

 

Thwack

 

Thwack!!!

 

He slammed the ball against the wall over and over again, beads of sweat starting to form over his forehead

 

Again and again

 

Over him, darkness gradually fell, the cicadas staring to sing from the little clump of trees in the corner  
In two days, summer vacation would be over, and he’d have to go back to school..

And the same thing would keep on happening

 

_Why_

 

_Why me?!!_

 

_I don’t want this face!!!!!_

 

‘Ouch!’  
Stumbling against a small stone, he fell, the sting from his scraped knee immediately spreading through his leg  
‘Ugghhmf’ Digging his hands into the ground, he pushed himself back up painfully, and kicked the ball again

_See?_

_I’m strong_

_I’m just as strong as any of you_

_Even if I get hurt its fine_

_I can still play_

Tears started pricking at the corners of his eyes, and he angrily brushed them away  
He mustn’t cry  
Whatever happened, he cannot cry

Then he’d  _really_ be like a girl

Sniffling, he tried to push the tears away

 

‘Lu..han?’

 

Gasping, he snapped around -  
Then tossed his head, and went back to kicking the ball against the wall

It was that kid who sat in the corner in class… _Xiumin??_..something like that…

_Go away_

He didn’t usually stand out that much – he was definitely cute, chubby and round, and always super gentle and sweet to everyone..  
He was kinda the quiet type, so obviously Luhan didn’t know much about him..

_Leave me alone_

But he was also definitely.. _respected_?? He couldn’t explain it, but everyone in their class really looked upto him..

Like, the type who didn’t talk much, but whenever they  _did_ say something, it was considered really important?

 _Someone like him, who’s even on the school soccer team..he’s the_ last  _person I want to see now_

 

‘LUHAN!!’  
‘Huhh?’ Startled by the yell, he turned around, to see Xiumin gesturing to him with one hand  
‘Pass!’  
‘Huuuhh?’  
‘ _Honestly_ , how long do I have to call you for, you can’t day dream in the middle of a game, ya know!!  
Pass the ball here!’

 

Totally bewildered, he kicked the ball over to Xiumin..

Who kicked it back

 

It was the first time

 

_It was the first time ever that.._

He’d…ever...

 

_Played with someone like this…._

 

Xiumin had tossed his bag against the bushes, and was focusing fully on dribbling the ball back and forth between them

 

_He’s really taking me seriously_

 

_I’m…_

 

_I’m actually playing!!!_

 

The thought burst through him, and he laughed out loud, adding a spin to the next kick, sending it curving around Xiumin

‘Whoo~~!’

 

Xiumin stopped the ball only by stretching as far as he could, and turned to grin at Lu Han

 

_Huuhh.._

 

Lu Han quickly looked away, his cheeks suddenly feeling weirdly hot

 

_What.._

 

‘you’re really good!’  
‘What?!’ In astonishment, his head snapped back, and he stared at him  
‘you’re really good!!’ Xiumin repeated, his cheeks puffing out ‘you should seriously join the team!’

 

……..

_Something like that..how could he say something like that so casually??!! Doesn’t he know…_

 

‘Lu..han? What's wrong?!!’

‘Huh??  
Huuuhhh?’  
Totally shocked, he looked at the drop of water that had landed on his hand  
‘Huuuuhhhh??!!!!’

 

He looked up, still bewildered, at Xiumin who had run upto him, and was shaking his shoulders, as the tears still streamed off his cheek

 

 

‘I see…I’m sorry, I didn’t know..’  
They were sitting side by side on the curb just under a streetlamp, and around them, the flies buzzed raucously, diving down every now and then like angry shadows  
He didn’t know why..he didn’t even  _know_ him..  
But he’d somehow found himself telling Xiumin everything

‘But…is it really that bad?’  
‘ _Huh??_ YES _!’_  
 _‘_ Well…. I think they just don’t realise you feel this way..i mean, you don’t really say anything forcefully, right?’  
‘…But..’  
‘Besides, I don’t think they can really be blamed..’

‘ _What??!!’_

‘No, nonono, of course, they’re wrong, of course..  
But..

I mean, you’re really really cute, right?’

In anger, Luhan sprang up,  and struck out at Xiumin –

Who only laughed, rubbing his shoulder. ‘Even if you don’t agree, it’s a fact.  
Of course, theyr all wrong to keep calling you a girl, though – but its just that I can kinda understand…  
I mean, you’re the cutest thing anyone’s seen, to the point that its difficult for them to accept that you’re a guy!’

Lu han stared open mouthed at Xiumin

_How can he just…say it like that.._

_So casually…._

_Saying it so matter of factly.._

 

_Isn’t it…_

_Is it really that…. small??!!_

 

 _Like..its….so_ normal.

 

‘Alright!’ Xiumin stood up, brushing himself off, and placed a hand on Lu Han’s shoulder  
‘If you want to be acknowledged as a guy no matter what -- though  personally, I think you’re totally making a big deal out of nothing -- then let’s do it!’

‘ _Huuhh?_!’

‘Get you on the soccer team!’

 

Xiumin was as good as his word – the very next day, he’d taken Lu Han over to the soccer team captain’s house (Chongkun-Ge had an awesome goal, and marked lines in his backyard) and made him demonstrate his passes, and shots – with the result that, when school started, the soccer team had a new Regular..

And Lu Han had his first friend

After that, he kept playing – while keeping up with his soccer, he joined the basketball, rugby and tennis teams, and loved every one of them....  
And gradually, just as Xiumin had said, people stopped talking about him like he was a girl, and words like ‘strong’ and ‘Ace’ and ‘He’s a first class dude’ started being thrown at him instead.  
Even when someone  _did_  call him ‘cute’, it wasn’t the same any more – he suddenly found himself able to take it as a compliment (though he still didn’t _like_ it very much)

And even in the worst case, now he had Xiumin to grumble to, and complain and whine to

 

 

 

 

 _‘LUHAN!!!!!! HELLOOOO!! Anyone home??!!’_  
 _‘_ Huh!’ Luhan snapped up, his thoughts breaking off, to see Xiumin looking at him with a worried face  
‘There really  _is_ something wrong with you today!! Whats up?’  
‘Ah!’ He smiled,  shaking his head slightly ‘Its nothing~~Baozi~~’ Grinning, he linked his arm through his, only to burst out laughing as Xiumin pouted his usual ‘Don’t call me that!’  
‘ Oh, that’s right, I was meaning to ask you, are we going for the tournament?’  
‘Hmm?’  
‘Baozi~~ the Wushu tournament’  
‘Mm-mmm . Its fine, if you wanna, then lets go!’  
‘Yes! It seems like fun!!’

‘Next week, right?’

‘Yeah!  
Hehe, Sehun’s super fired up, he’s been going on about making flyers and he’s even got the girls painting some huge banner’

‘Eeehh~~’

‘Yeah! I’m shocked too, he never seemed to be into Wushu..  
Ah! Its probably Eiri!’

‘ _Eiri_?’

‘Ya know..the third year? She’s head of the cheer club – I heard the whole cheer club is going to attend - You know how she had this thing going with him, back when Sehun first came..’

‘Really??’

‘Yeah…though I thought he was just playing…  
He must’ve been serious, huh…’

Xiumin drew a long breath through pursed lips  
‘I wonder if that’s so..…’ For a moment, he seemed lost in thought about something, a frown appearing on his face..

'Hmm? Xiumin?'

'Ah! it's nothing!' he shook it off.  ‘Luhan, are you coming over tomorrow? We’re watching the match at my place, right?’

‘Yeah! I’ll bring snacks, k!’

‘Thanks! My parents are not gonna be there, they’re going to my grandparents place for the weekend, so you can cheer as loud as you want this time’

They both laughed as they remembered the last time Lu Han had come over to watch the match – they’d been chanting so loud, they hadn’t even heard Xiumin’s mom yelling at them to shut up, they had guests over

‘Eehh~ then I’ll stay over!’

‘Okay!’

‘I can’t  _wait_ , Man U is totally gonna annihilate Basel!!’

‘Ohhh?’ Xiumin cocked an arrogant eyebrow at him ‘Yeah..hehehe.. _if_ Frei’s miraculously injured or something, and can’t play’

‘Shuddup!’

 

As they laughed and teased each other, walking arm in arm in the light snowfall that was powdering over them, Lu Han glanced at Xiumin speculatively through the corner of his eye

 

 _Of course he had been uncomfortable all day!_  
With the new seating arrangement, this was the first time in what.. 6 yrs? 7? That he had spent so much time separated from Xiumin

_Aah-ah.._

he sighed mentally

 

_It was really tiring without him around_

 

_But.._

 

_As expected, Xiumin seems exactly the same as always_

 

_Aaahh-aah_

 

 

‘Ah! Lu Han! Isn’t this the place you wanted to try?’  
Xiumin stopped abruptly in the middle of the road, pointing to a gleaming store front, warm yellow light spilling out onto the snow from under deep green awnings

‘Hmm?’

‘They have a new Latte on the menu? Remember last week, you were saying you wanted to try it?’

‘Oh......Oh!! Yeah!! Can we?’

‘Umm! We’ve time today, c’mon.. My treat!’

 

Smiling, Lu Han followed Xiumin in through the shiny wood panelled doors


	15. Chapter Fourteen [ignore the number to portside >//<]

‘Sehun! you’re back!!’

 

‘Yeah..’ With a little grunt of effort, Sehun set the cardboard box down carefully in the corner of the classroom, then went over to his seat  
‘See~hun! It’s already break! You missed all of 3rd period!!’  
‘Yeah!! I can’t believe Suho Laoshi let you off for the whole period!!’

‘Ehehehe!’ Grinning cheekily, he flashed a ‘V’ sign at Lin, ignoring the little stab of..irritation? Want? Loneliness?.. at the site of Tao’s empty desk  
‘Its coz I’m naturally polite, and just…ya know.. generally incredible~~’

Hoots of disbelief and protest followed this proclamation, and everyone snickered

‘Aaah~ah  _we_  get a pop quiz, and  _Oh Sehun_  gets to skip out~’  
‘Yeah! And for no reason at all!’

‘Hey! I had too, a reason!! I was making flags for us to wave at the tournament! See?’  
He pulled out the sample cloth that had been waded up in his pocket as he sat down, spreading it out to show off the school insignia neatly demarcated on it  
‘we made  _dozens!’_

‘Eeeehh~’  
Lu han came over to stand beside him, giving him a teasing once over look  
‘You were in the art room all this while?!’

‘Yeah!’

‘Sehun, wow, you’re ….really… psyched.. for this aren’tcha!’

‘Hmm? Why are you saying it like that?!’

‘C’moon, I never knew you to have the slightest interest in the Wushu club before this!’

‘….errr..I..’ Sehun burst into a fit of coughing

‘Eeeehh~~  
is the cheer club helping make the props?’

Sehun stopped spluttering abruptly, to turn a bewildered look at Lu Han.  
‘Huh?? Why would they – ‘

‘Lu Han! You’re gonna start a riot, shuttup!’ Fang appeared at top speed out of nowhere, digging one elbow right into his side,  nudging him vigorously

‘Huh?? Oh..Yeah..sorry!’  
Glancing around at the girls who were avidly following their exchange, Lu Han quickly changed the subject – to the topic that was burning inside him most urgently at that moment – the soccer match that was to be played that evening. (after Man United lost last week against FC Basel, he felt like his life depended on them winning this one)  
(Not to mention, he reeeaally wanted to rub it in Xiumin’s face when they did – that idiot Baozi hadn’t let up on teasing him ever since the night he’d stayed over at his place and watched the incredible defeat)  
A big crowd quickly developed around Sehun’s desk, all arguing and teasing, laughing one minute, pounding fists vehemently to stress some point the next, predictions made and denied, and betted on, with rewards and punishments ranging from having to eat an entire bowl of Fang’s homemade chicken feet to winning a kiss from Suki

‘Huuh???!! I didn’t agree to that!’ Suki arrived on cue at the scene  tossing her hair over her shoulders with an annoyed ‘Huff’… but with her trademark toothy smile belying the angry tones

Sehun grinned and joined in the exclamations of protest that followed this, mentally dismissing Lu Han’s cryptic comments earlier, and thoroughly enjoying the banter wholeheartedly

 

 

_Ah! That’s right!_

  
Since the seating arrangement change, this was the first time that everyone had gathered around his table like this – it was their routine earlier, but nowadays…

 

 

_Wait…_

 

_Was…it….._

 

_Was it because he was sitting next to Tao?!_

 

Especially now, with the tournament preparations, Sehun felt like he finally understood exactly what everyone thought of Tao. It wasn’t that he was disliked – on the contrary, the overwhelming response and support for the Wushu club was only the tip of the iceberg of admiration and respect in which everyone held him….  
In fact, more than one of the girls who had eagerly volunteered to help him with the banners had ended up confiding in him about how they had had crushes on Zitao-jun at some point or the other  
[Lau Laoshi, (their super cool Arts Teacher, who insisted everyone simply call him ‘Henry’) could never understand how so many paintbrushes kept ‘accidentally’ snapping in Sehun’s hand]  
But as much as they liked him, no one had ever worked up the courage to ask him out – or, in many cases, to speak to him, even!! Even among the guys in the class, everyone looked up to him a lot – but there was something stand-offish in Tao’s manner that had kept them away

Of course, Sehun didn’t understand it at all – Tao was the biggest softie he had ever come across!!

_Honestly, he’s like an oversized kitten, for crying out loud!!_

 

_Not to mention, how affectionate he is… how much he loves taking care of people, and fussing about them.._

 

 

 _So_ how _exactly had he managed to keep everyone at arm’s length, till now??_

 

‘Excuse me’  
A growly voice cut into his thoughts, and reflexively almost, Sehun felt the rise in his cheeks

Tao wended his way through the crowd, and plopped down in his chair, sighing deeply  
Sehun couldn’t stop his eyes from following every last movement – Tao had on his gym tee, over which he had roughly pulled on his uniform shirt, leaving it unbuttoned – the sleeves rolled up..  
His spectacles perched precariously.. _sexily,_ almost right at the very tip of his nose..  
Beads of water shining pearly in his hair, and as he sat, one dripped to trickle over the curve of his face

 

_He couldn’t help it!_

 

 

_Tao’s dishevelled appearance…_

 

 

 

_Anyway, how was it his fault, it had been one whole entire week since…they’d…ya know..…_

 

 

Crap

He quickly bent down to lift his bag onto his lap, rummaging about in it randomly, and trying his best to hide his face from everyone clustered around

Behind him, Tao flopped onto his desk facedown, sighing again, stretching his arms out  
‘Zi..Zitao jun..are you alright?’  
Sehun looked up in surprise at Lin’s tentatively spoken words – only to realise that he had worried unnecessarily – every last one of them, guys and girls, had their eyes fixed on Tao as keenly as he had

 

_Okay, hold on a minute….._

_What was with this!?_

...........

 

.....

 

_Oh-kayyy! Seriously, What do you think you’re looking at!!_

 

Of course – they were all used to seeing supremely sharply dressed Tao, shirt always buttoned right to the top, hair neatly smoothened – to the point of almost uncomfortable severity, expression always calm and cool and collected  
So.... it was understandable that they were suddenly pricking their ears up at the sight that now met their eyes

 _Yeah right!!! There was No Way he was going to be_ that _understanding_

Clenching his fists under the table, Sehun opened his mouth –  
Only –

‘Hmm?’ Tao looked up, raising an eyebrow at the others, like he was only recognizing them now  
‘Ah! No, no, I’m just a bit tired!’ He flashed a grin, his eyes crinkling up. ‘We’ve been practicing since 6 am’  
His smile softened, and his voice turned suddenly smoothly gentle ‘ Thank you, Lin’  
‘Umm, no..i..’ Blushing fiery and spluttering, Lin stammered amidst the stares of disbelief and at least in Sehun’s eyes, what looked like total arousal on the parts of 90% of the crowd

Sehun turned to glare angrily at the back of Tao’s head – he’d already gone back to his earlier position, shoving his face against the cool wood of his desk  
 _Honestly!!! What the_ hell  _did he think he was doing, turning on the ‘Prince’ act in front of everyone!!!!!!!!_

 

Just moments ago, Sehun had felt a definite desire to somehow, even if he had to force him, make Tao get along better with everyone -  at the  _very_  least, their own classmates. For some reason, he’d felt it like a physical pain himself – that his Tao, who was so loving and caring and kind, would be so…. _alone_ ….  
Would be so misunderstood

He’d felt like he couldn’t  _bear_ it

But right at that moment, like it had never been there, the last vestiges of those feelings disappeared like vapour in the snowy air

 

_No!! I don’t want this_

 

_I don’t want this!!!_

 

 _Stop looking at him! Don’t you_ dare _go near him!!_

 

 

 _I don’t......_  
 _I dont want Tao to smile like that at anyone else!!_  
This side of Tao… the real side of Tao – this belonged  _only_ to him

 

‘Eeehh~~’  
‘Since six in the morning?!  
‘Ah!! It must be tough!!’  
‘You must be really tired, ne, Zitao-jun!’  
‘That’s right!’  
‘But that’s why you’re so good, right!’  
‘Zitao-jun, you’re done with practice for the day right?’

 

 

_Huuuuhhhhhh???!!!_   
_What. The. Hell._

_Just coz he answered you nicely once, don’t get ahead of yourself!!!_

 

 

‘Hmm? No, no, I’ll be heading back in a bit, I just thought I’d rest for a bit here…’

_!!!  
And you!!!! Idiot Tao, don’t talk to them so sweetly!!!!_

 

 

As everyone clicked their tongues in sympathy, and voiced their support, Lu Han even going so far as to  _pat him over the shoulders,_ Sehun abruptly felt a lump rise in his throat

This was….

This was just too unfair

When Tao’d lifted his head to answer, he had had to look away..  
While all of them talked to Tao.. _encouraging_ him, he had to sit staring fixedly to the side, afraid to turn his eyes to Tao..  
Unable to say a word to him

Of course he understood why – he wasn’t complaining, not again, he totally wasn’t!! But he couldn’t help  _wishing_ so desperately, that things could be different

_Dammit!_

Panicking, he tugged his lip under his teeth, biting down hard  
 _He could NOT start crying here!!!_

But..

It was all just so…

He hadn’t even been able to see Tao ever since that day last week when he’d sent him off home with the packs of ice cream…  
And all this while, he’d been working super hard too, making the props for the tournament, getting all the arrangements done, coordinating with the other clubs…  
And every moment dreamily imagining how happy Tao would be when he saw the whole crowd in the stadium holding up these banners, and cheering for him  
But except for hurried one word texts at odd hours, and maybe a nod across the room, he hadn’t even been able to have  _any_ actual contact with Tao at all!!!

_How am I possibly supposed to bear this?!!_

And even right now.. he was just beside him,  less than an arm’s length away..

Yet..

 

Even now, he couldn’t…

 

_And these idiots, they have nothing to do with him, they are nobody to him, and yet, they get to talk to him however they want!!!_

 

_If you were so concerned about him, where the hell were all of you all this while??!!!_

 

 _I was the one who was by his side till now, I’M his boyfriend, if anyone should be telling him ‘_ Zitao-jun, I have some vitamin sachets, here, please have some _’ or_ ‘Zitao, we’re all coming to cheer for you at the tournament, k! _’ and ‘_ Wow! You are soo hardworking _’ with stars in their eyes, it’s me!!_

 

The bell clanged loudly in the distance, and as everyone started moving away, Sehun lowered his head into his chest, willing away the tears he could feel already starting to prick his eyes  
 _It’s..just..so unfair!!_

 

‘Uh!’  
The next second, he gasped and looked up in total shock, his mouth literally falling open  
Tao was sitting up, his head resting on one hand, his  unbuttoned sleeve falling right to his elbow, which he was leaning against the desk..  
Exposing that span of peachy warm skin over which those dark hairs traced lightly in sexy rows  
His eyes half lidded and heavy…looking at Sehun through those incredibly long charcoal black lashes  
And his other hand outstretched..

Fingers reaching out..

To gently cup Sehun’s chin, his thumb stroking his cheek in firm circles

 

_Hhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh???????!!!!!!!!!!_

 

In complete and absolute disbelief, Sehun stared blankly at him

 

_Wha…._

 

 

_What…????!!!!!_

 

‘Paint’

 

‘Hrrngf?’  
Sehun gasped incoherently, trying desperately to sound normal and failing

Even through his hooded eyes, Sehun could easily spot the mischievous glint with which Tao was looking at him  
‘You’ve got some paint on your cheek’

For what seemed to Sehun an eternity, through which he was convinced his body had burst into flames, Tao kept rubbing his face..  
Before lazily lifting his hand away, as Lu Han laughed, and said ‘Ah! That’s coz he’s been working so hard, making those flags!’  
‘That’s right, Zitao-jun, Sehun has been making all the banners and posters and stuff for us to hold at the tournament!!’  
‘Yes, he’s been at it all week’  
‘He even missed all of 3rd period today!!’  
‘Aaahh, I  _still_ can’t believe Su Ho Laoshi let him off just like that~~’  
'Shuttup, who cares about that’  
‘Sexiong’s been practically  _living_ in the Arts room!’

As his friends all jumped to supply information, Sehun realised with a vague stab of irritation that they were..trying to  _impress_ Tao…  
to make Tao  _approve_ of him??!

_Huuhh??!! Like I need you guys to!!!_

It felt decidedly out of character for him, these sort of thoughts – he was utterly unused to feeling insecure like this, to feeling…actually…  _jealous_

C’mon, he was  _Oh Sehun_  for crying out loud- the last person on earth who needed to feel this particular sort of apprehension!

 

Yet….

 

It felt scary, and painful, and weird all at once, like something really ugly was twisting and coiling strongly in his stomach, sinking its fangs into his skin

Leeching away the excitement and happiness that he had been drowning in just seconds earlier

 

_It’s just coz I haven’t been able to be with Taotao for so long_

_Yeah! That’s right, that’s why I’m over reacting to them_

Forcibly yelling the words inside his head, he tried to push down on the shadowy thoughts that had reared their heads in some primal part of him

 

 

Suddenly, a scraping sound cut through his thoughts, as behind him, Tao stood, stretching his arms and groaning as his joints popped

 

 

_Oh_

 

 

_He’s leaving already_

 

 

 

He’s leaving already!!!

 

And  _I…_!  
 _I've...._

_I haven’t…been able…_

Suddenly, he felt furious – the anger bubbling through his veins, directed solely at himself

 

Tao’d been there, right next to him!!  
He’d even reached out to him!!!!!

No one knew better than him how much it would have taken for him to do that… to touch him like that…  
Right in the middle of their class!!

Just to indulge  _him_

And all  _he’d_  done…

All he’d done was sit and sulk and think stupid,  _useless, unnecessary_  things, and now Tao was going, and God only knew when he’d even get to see him again, maybe not even once more all day and he’d had a chance, he  _could’ve_ done something,  _anything,_ but instead he’d been so stupid, so  _stupid_ dammit, now I won’t even  -

 

 

‘Uh!!!’  
For the second time in as many minutes, Sehun gasped in shock and looked up  
Tao had made to leave, his hands casually stuffed in his pockets, his feet scraping against the floor lazily -  when he’d suddenly stopped just in front of Sehun  
And reached to slide two fingers into his hair  
Ruffling through gently, before grasping a clump of bright yellow strands, and tugging them, while cheekily grinning down at him, with just a sliver of pink tongue peeping out between his lips

 

And just like that, it was like a switch had flipped somewhere inside of him

 

The little sting that jolted through his scalp seemed to tie it all together.

_No matter how friendly Tao might get with anyone…_   
_No matter how much they talk or whatever…_

_Even if he smiles his sweetest at them!_

This  _expression_

This  _smile_

 

I’ll be the only one who ever sees it

 

_I’ll be the only one whom he thinks of like this_

 

He felt so triumphantly gleeful, he almost  _did_  laugh out loud, as he blushed, and reflexively reached up with both hands to rub the part of his scalp that was still twinging  
 _They can all die behind him, but the only one_ he  _wants, is me after all_

Grinning up happily at Tao, confident in the breadth of the muscular Wushu captain that was hiding him from the rest of the class, he blew a kiss at him, giggling under his breath as Tao turned rapidly crimson, and stumbled back half a step hurriedly, spluttering

_Serves him right_

Chuckling, arching one eyebrow at his daring, Tao stepped up to him again, and thrusting one hand into his hair, ruffled it thoroughly, totally ignoring Sehun’s yelled out protests of ‘Oyy!!! Stoppit!!’ and his attempts to grab his wrist and pull him away

_He was so close!!_

 

That oh-so-familiar, beloved, smell of his soap, and lotion, and sweat and laundry detergent, and Sehun had no idea what else, but as it wrapped around him softly, he felt like he was being intoxicated

 

_It had been so long!!_

Abruptly, the tension between them swelled, their throats constricting, and their expressions turning tight, as their proximity pulled frissons of heat through them both

Sehun swallowed visibly as he watched Tao’s eyes droop, and he nervously licked his lips, his fingers tightening around Tao’s wrist –  
 _Ah! Crap!! He shouldn’t do that!!_  
The realisation hit him just as Tao’s hand clenched reflexively in his hair, the tug this time on a whole 'nother level from before –  
but this was a familiar pain

_The one right before Tao…._

 

_usually…_

 

Brusquely, Tao let go, his face clouding for a moment - before his features relaxed, and he turned his usual special ‘Sehunnie I love you so!’ grin on him  
‘Thank you for the posters, Sehun!’

He spoke politely, like they were just normal classmates..

Like they were just acquaintances…

Yet, unconsciously, his voice still held a heat and a simultaneous softness that had an outburst sounding through the class the second he stepped out and closed the door behind him, shattering the silence and bated breaths with which every single eye in the class had followed him out

‘ _OMG what was that!!!!!!!!!!!’_  
 _‘Zitao jun is…sooo hawt!_  
 _‘SO COOL!!’_  
 _‘omg omg omg, did he just…’_  
 _‘omg WOW!!’_  
With excited squeals, and hands fanning frantically at flushed cheeks, half the population of the class mobbed Sehun’s desk, their eyes sparkling and their voices breathy

‘Sehun, omg, you  _have_ to let me help out with the prep!!’  
‘Sexiong, me too, me too, omg, I need to work on the banners too!!’  
‘Sehun, please, I’m really good at arts, ya know!!’  
‘Omg, did you  _see_ that!!’  
‘Yes!!! I don’t believe it!!’  
‘Was he always that handsome??!!!!’  
‘ _I swear to God, I can’t breathe!!!’_  
‘Wow…. Wow…..wow….’  
‘Do you think he’ll thank me too if I make something??’  
‘Why not!! Zitao jun’s always polite, right?’  
‘Kyaaaaahhh!! This sort of politeness though!!’ (turning jealous eyes at Sehun)   
‘omg, Sehun, you are soooo lucky!!’  
‘Alright!! I’m going to make buttons for the whole school!! Will the whole school name fit on it…  
Ah, never mind, I’ll just put ‘Tao’ on them, right?’  
‘Omg, Lin, let me help you!!!’  
‘No way!!! I’m gonna do it all myself, and then I’m going to give it personally to Zitao jun myself, and then he’ll – ‘

A loud crash cut through the class, instantly silencing the clamour, and everyone turned as one -   
To the right of the class –  
Where Mai had stood up, banging her books on the desk with enough force to make a couple of pages fly out  
‘..Would…you please mind getting back to your seats, the bell has already gone..’ She spoke through gritted teeth, glaring at the gaggle of excited girls – who deflated instantly, and made their way back to their places, muttering and grumbling under their breath  
Letting out an audible ‘Huff’ Mai sat back down, angrily banging her bag on her desk, stuffing her books in and pulling out new ones, each ‘Thump’ resounding through the class

Sehun hurriedly turned his face towards the wall and stuffed his fist in his mouth, biting down on the laughter bubbling out of him

That’s right _– That’s_ Zitao…  
 _And he’s_ mine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Eeehh~ So you’re actually doing it~’  
The teasing voice sent shivers running up and down his spine, and Sehun froze in the middle of counting up the streamers as he packed them into boxes, making little check marks against the list he held spread out under his knee

‘Tao! What are you doing here??!!’ Half rising from where he had been kneeling, he looked up at the boy in question in surprise

‘Ha! Like I could stay away when I heard that my baby was working so hard for my sake~’ Grinning seductively, Tao straightened away from the doorpost he’d been leaning against and stepped towards him  
‘Hmm~~ you’re  doing all this by yourself?!’ He looked around at the neat stacks of boxes on one end of the room, and the mountains of cloth, and paper, half done posters, and the giant banner with one section unrolled ready to paint, not to mention the various markers, pens, brushes, rulers, erasers, etc etc that littered every inch of the rest of the floor, whistling under his breath  
‘Mm-mm, no, no, the others just left to have lunch..’ blushing and shaking his head, Sehun waved his hand in denial  
‘Eeehh~~’ Tao stepped even closer, his head tilted to one side as he looked at Sehun like he was…. Impressed…and gratified, and kinda turned on all at once  
‘And you didn’t go?’  
‘Eermnf..’ Sehun flicked the strands of hair that fell onto his forehead in embarrassment, trying to give his hands something to do ‘I just thought…I’d..finish up this lot first…’  
Chuckling, Tao took another step closer…

when –

‘Ah!’   
Gasping suddenly, and snapping out of it, Sehun leapt up, and shoving his palms against Tao’s chest, pushed him away  
‘No!! no no no!! you can’t be here!!’  
‘Huh?’  
Ignoring Tao’s bewilderment, Sehun bulldozed him all the way out of the workspace, and round to the other end, not stopping till they were in the modelling section, surrounded by half formed plaster casts, and jars filled with weird smelling paints  
As he wheezed, bending over almost double to clutch his knees, Sehun cocked one eye at Tao  
‘Honestly..omg….you’ve gotten..like… 10 times more muscular than the last time I saw you~’  
Straightening up, he pouted  
‘And here I was thinking I knew your body so well…’ Muttering in annoyance, he turned his head away – only to snap back to glare at Tao, who had burst out laughing  
‘So…sorry…’ Sputtering, Tao waved an apologetic hand as Sehun punched his shoulder  
‘Umm..so..that – ‘ he gestured to the workspace Sehun had forced him out off. ‘You didn’t want me to see what you’re making?’ He pulled an exaggeratedly long-suffering face ‘Is this another one of your surprises…’  
‘Shuttup!’ Sehun stuck his tongue out at him. ‘Just admit you  _love_ my surprises’

‘Hmm..let’s see…’ Tao theatrically counted off on his fingers  
‘there was the time you tried to pierce my ears when I was asleep – ‘  
‘ _But you’d look so good with – ‘_  
Ignoring him, Tao went straight on  
‘The time you tried to make my favorite pie…’  
‘ _I DID make it, too!’_  
‘…..The time you signed us up for voice training classes at the community centre…’  
‘ _and the one time we went, it was super fun, ok!’_  
‘The time you brought home that ‘stray’ cat…’  
‘ _…okay..that one...well, how was I supposed to know it belonged to Mrs Wan, it didn’t have a collar or anything!!’_  
 ‘Oh…and how can I forget…

Your hair!’

Sehun stuck his tongue out at him again, and shoved him in annoyance –

But Tao grabbed his hands, and, before Sehun even had time to gasp, or remotely realise what he was doing, he’d pulled him against himself, and swooping down, covered his lips with his own

‘Mmmggnf!’ Sehun wriggled in surprise, but Tao stroked him gently, his arms reaching to encircle him, and trace smoothly over his back, while he tenderly suckled his lower lip…  
Before moving to the upper…

_Ah! It had really been so long!!_

Weakly, feeling like his legs wouldn’t hold him up much longer, Sehun leaned against his strong, muscular frame, the warmth pooling through his body, as he kissed him back…

As softly and lightly as Tao was – at first..

But gradually, inevitably, their kisses grew sharper, and stronger, and Tao forcibly thrust his tongue into his mouth.. his hand clenched onto his shirt, the other tightening around his chin…

Panting, Sehun thrust his fingers desperately into Tao’s hair, rubbing the whole length of his body against his, thrusting his hips, and Tao groaned low in his throat in response, his hands moving to cloy over his lower back, jerking him even closer

The next minute, abruptly, both of them sprang apart, panic jumping through their veins, their hearts pounding  -  
Then burst into simultaneous laughs of relief, as they realised the clatter they had heard was a chisel falling off the table Sehun’s foot had hit against

 

‘Aah~ah..we really shouldn’t be doing this here..’ Tao rubbed his face, looking so tired, Sehun felt a pang clutch coldly at his heart  
 

‘Taotao..?’  
 

‘C’mere.’ Tao reached out and pulled him closer again, hugging him tightly as he slumped against him, resting his chin heavily on his shoulder  
 

‘Babe...?’ Even as he wrapped his arms around him, Sehun leaned his cheek against Tao’s soft, silky head, nuzzling a soft question

  
‘..Just..stay like this for a bit’ Tao sighed the words against his neck, laying a little kiss right at his nape 

  
‘...Umm!’ Sehun clutched him tighter, raising one hand to stroke his head gently

‘You’re really tired, ne…’

Tao huffed a self deprecating laugh ‘ _So_ exhausted….. I can’t even think straight..’

‘..I have no complaints with that part of it’ Sehun deadpanned, making Tao chuckle, and nip the side of his neck  
‘Idiot’  
Then he drew a long sigh, the air rifting hotly over Sehun’s skin  
‘I’m seriously beat  
….And I seriously miss you, Hun-ah’  
‘Me too!!’ Sehun turned slightly, to plant a kiss over Tao’s head ‘Have you been getting any rest at all?’  
‘Mmm…kinda…but its usually really late by the time I reach home..and then theres all the stuff to do for the Festival..i don’t have any time during the day, so I just take it all home..and…’  
 ‘Hmmm…’ Sehun hummed in sympathy, continuing to tenderly pet him  
‘And on top of that i have all these videos to watch..’  
‘Videos?’  
‘Umm. Previous tournaments and stuff…’

‘Ohhh….

Alright!’  
Sehun pushed away, holding Tao’s shoulders firmly, and reaching up  
‘Leave it to me!’  
‘Huh?’

‘First of all, give me the Fes stuff..i’ll look over everything, and summarize it for you – and I can sort it out so you only have to actually go through the ones you  _have_ to  - I mean, I bet they just dump  _everything_ on you, don’t they, the..*****....

And ohh! The decoration committee thing – you’re head, right? So you have a bunch of stuff to do with that – you can turn that entirely over to me!!

So you only focus on the Wushu for now, ok?’

Grinning at Tao’s expression, Sehun reached up to ruffle  _his_ hair  
‘You know you can depend on me a little, you big idiot!!!’

 

Turning away from Tao, he pulled out a long ruled sheet from the sheaf that was stacked haphazardly on a paint splotched stool, and starting noting down the list carefully, his tongue sticking out in his concentration

‘Right! What else…  
Ah!’ Snapping around to Tao, who was looking utterly bemused (and, admittedly, thoroughly stirred up) by Sehun’s hitherto unseen super capable take-charge manner, and bossy attitude (though  _that_  was typical Hunnie) he held out a hand, waving it in the air in impatience  
‘Gimme your phone’

‘Huh?’

‘Tao!! Gimme your phone’

Still feeling totally clueless, but more than happy to play along with Sehun’s adorably bratty domineering, Tao pulled his phone out of his pocket, and handed it to him  
 ‘Ah! You need the pass to unlock it, it’s – ‘  
Sehun stuck out his tongue at him, tossing his head  
‘Like I don’t know it!’ Cutting Tao off, he flicked it on, and expertly pushed the keys, grumbling under his breath (‘as if I can’t spell my own name..what sort of idiot does he take me for!!’)  
As he pressed something else, and held the phone to his ear, though, Tao felt a little thread of worry  
‘Hey….Who are you calling??’  
But Sehun just waved him off, waiting with his head tilted slightly for whoever was on the other end to pick up  
‘Sehun.

Sehun.

Hunnah!! Seriously, what are you doing!?’

 

Making faces at Tao, with his lips comically pursed out,  he brushed past him, heading over to the corridor outside  
As Tao watched, trying hard to figure out what he was saying, he suddenly started speaking, waving his hands, and gesticulating vigorously to emphasise his vehement tones, and twice, bursting out laughing  
 _What in the world…_  
 _Who does he know well enough to speak to like that...who's on_ my  _contact list!?_

He was out of Tao’s hearing, and Tao couldn’t help….feeling.. _very_ curious 

Finally, Sehun jerked his head a couple of times, and then turned, walking back to Tao as he flicked his phone off  
‘Done!’

‘What?’

‘Hmm?’

Exasperated, at Sehun’s phony widened eyes and innocently arching brows, Tao wrapped an arm around his neck in a chokehold  
‘ _Sehun!! What_ exactly, did you do?’  
‘Ouch, ouch, Tao gerrof!!’ Sehun hit against Tao’s forearm, trying to get him to leave go – but as expected, Tao wouldn’t let up that easily

_Hmph._

_well then._

Sehun stuck out his tongue, and reached down, to lick along Tao’s arm

‘Se-sehusehun!!!’ The reaction was immediate – spluttering, Tao backed off right away – then, realising belatedly that he had been played with, grabbed him roughly, swinging him around and tugging him violently forward to kiss him, forcibly thrusting his tongue deep into his mouth..

_brutally_

Mentally congratulating himself, and trying not to giggle, Sehun reached up on his toes, to sink into the kiss, throwing both hands around Tao’s neck

This time, they managed to get all the way to Tao’s hands reaching up under his shirt, and his mouth nipping urgently along Sehun’s neck, while Sehun, panting slightly, arched under him, trying to present as much skin as possible to Tao’s plundering lips - before he suddenly came to his senses, and wrenched himself away, somehow managing to blush and glare and grin at Sehun all at once

‘Ass! You and your idiotic methods to change the subject are not gonna work, you know!! Hurry up and spill!!’

Sehun whooped with glee

‘ _You're the ass!!_ It was  _nothing_  really , I just wanted to see you get worried wondering- ‘ Before leaping out of the way as Tao roared and reached for him again  
 ‘I just called your mom – she agreed, we both think you’re gonna kill yourself working like this – so for the next three days, you’re gonna stay at my place, till the tournament! It’s  _way_ closer to school, and I can be your pet slave too, so anything you need done, I can do it!’

‘….

….Sehun..

….. _seriously??_ ’

‘Yeah!’ Grinning triumphantly, Sehun walked straight into Tao’s arms, hugging him close, and burying his face in his chest  
‘She totally agreed too, so everything’s fine - today you’re coming home with me!!’  
‘Sehun!! Thank you!!!’ laughing out loud, Tao bent to kiss Sehun’s forehead  
‘You have no idea how much this helps!’  
 ‘Ehehehe!’ Sehun winked and struck a pose, pulling his hand into a ‘V’ sign  
‘All in a day’s work for His Highness, Oh Sehun’

‘Eeehhh! I thought you were my pet slave till just a second ago! When exactly did you get promoted~~’  
Teasingly, Tao flicked a finger against the tip of his nose

‘Oww!’ Sehun shoved both hands against his face glaring at Tao – or trying to, for a moment, before he joined in his laughter, both of them supremely happy and content and at the same time, enjoying thoroughly the excitement and anticipation pounding through them

Reaching up suddenly, Sehun pecked Tao’s lips lovingly  
 ‘Well, good luck then, Wushu Captain!’

‘Umm!’ Grinning, Tao reached down to kiss him once too, before turning to leave, his back almost seeming to swell, his shoulders broadening, with new found strength and energy

Even after he was long gone, Sehun stood where he was, watching after the boy who had already disappeared, with what he knew must be a really idiotic grin plastered over his face (but he couldn’t help it..

And moreover, he couldn’t care less!!!)

As he finally turned away, to go back to cataloguing the streamers they had finished, he was humming happily under his breath

 

 

 

 

 

In the empty classroom in the opposite wing of the quadrangular building, Lu Han snapped his mouth shut with a click – before smacking it open and closed successively a few times – his tongue tasted weird..  
And dry…

Well, it was no wonder, his mouth had probably been hanging open for a good while

‘ _Lu Han!!_  We should go!!!’ Xiumin tugged his sleeve for the gazillionth time – and finally, this time, he succeeded in getting his attention, and Lu Han grunted in agreement, hefting the box of old textbooks Su Ho Laoshi had sent them to get higher in his arms as he turned away from the window..

Making it almost to the door of the classroom, before exploding

‘ _OMG, Xiumin!! Did you see that??!!!!!!!’_  
‘…Err…. _._ Yeah…..’  
‘That was…..  _OMG, Xiumin, that was Sehun!!!! And Zitao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’_  
‘..Err….Ye..ah….’  
‘OMG, Xiumin!!!!!!  _Sehun!!!!!_ And  _Zitao!!!!!!!!!!!!_ Together!!!!!!!’  
‘Yeah…’

Abruptly realising Xiumin was suspiciously calm about the whole thing, he rounded on him – but stopped when he saw his face

‘ _You knew???!!!!!!!!!!’_

 _‘_ Well…. No, not exactly….  
…………  
….  
i mean, I suspected it was something like this…..  
but….. I had no proof or anything…...’

‘ _You suspected??!!_ How did you know??!!!’

‘Just..something Sehun said once…

Anyway, never mind that, Lu Han, c’mon, we have to get these to Su Ho Laoshi’

‘…Err…yeah..okay…’

Uttelry nonplussed at Baozi’s non reaction, Lu Han clamped down on the words spilling out of him in shock, and followed him obediently

 

Before abruptly stopping at the top of the stairs, shaking his head emphatically

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

> **The Third Member of The Class Finds Out!!!!!!   What will happen to Tao &Sehun's Forbidden love??!!! Will their secret finally be exposed???**
> 
> **~~As The boys make plans to live together for 3 whole days~~ Will their relationship really move forward as planned?? or will trouble unexpectadly rear its head.........**
> 
> **And over it all looms the long awaited Wushu Tournament that Tao and the club have been trianing so hard for ~~ the match that Tao stakes his reputation and position on.... who will be the one to snatch the crown, and finally stand at the victor's position??**
> 
> **FIND OUT IN THE NEXT INSTALLEMENT OF THIS EXCITING WINTER ROMANCE STORY❣❣❣ THE LAST SNOW  ❣❣❣**
> 
> ****hopefully soon to be available at a browser near YOU****

omg sorry, lol, i just wanted to try out something like those panels right at the end of a manga, ya know (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ))


	16. Chapter Fifteen

‘But..but what about Eiri????’

‘Huh?!’ Xiumin came to a stop a couple of steps down, and tilted his head up to look at Lu Han – bursting into laughter at his serious face  
‘Wasn’t that just something you made up on your own, you idiot…’

‘Huuuuuuhhhh??!!!! But…but…but they  _definitely_ were…ya know…making out and stuff back when Sehun joined…’

Xiumin shrugged,  twisting his lips downward to indicate he had no clue  
and turned to continue down -  
‘Ah!’  - when Lu Han’s exclamation stopped him

‘So _THAT’S_ why Sehun’s so into helping out with the club!!’

‘Yeaahhhh….’

 

 

 

………….

….

 

‘Ahhhh!’

 

This time they’d reached the landing midway down the stairs when Lu Han stopped short again

 

‘So  _that’s_ why..this morning in class…..’  
‘…Duh.’Xiumin chuckled

 

Step

 

Step

 

Step….

 

They continued walking again, Lu Han grumbling under his breath

 

 

 

 

He was crossing the corridor to the right of the Sick Bay, when Xiumin suddenly realised there was total silence behind him  
‘Hmm?’ He turned his head, looking for Lu Han –

Only to find him standing stock still in the middle of the corridor, his head lowered right to his chest, clutching the box of books tightly against himself

‘Lu..Han?’

He didn’t even stir..or indicate in any way that he had heard

‘Lu…you okay?’ slightly worried, Xiumin stepped back slowly, going over to him  
‘Lu Han’

 

Slowly, he raised his head, to turn trembling eyes at Xiumin  
‘But…Xiumin..they’re both  _guys_!! Just how can you..possibly.. _do something like that with a guy??!!!  
_ It’s…Just…’

‘well… I didn’t really think all that much about it..i mean..it’s their business, right…

Besides-‘  
He called over his shoulder as he turned to walk away .’ I’ve never seen either of them look that  _happy_ as just now…’

 

Lu Han stood frozen watching Xiumin’s receding back

_Huh_

 

 

 

_What…_

 

_Well, that was true..in all the time he’d known Sehun..or Zitao, he’d never seen them look like that…_

 

 

But

 

 _It was disgusting!!!!!_  
His stomach clenched, the bile rising in his mouth

 

 _Uggh_ They were  _sick!!_

He swallowed convulsively, trying to push away the nausea..but it felt like the image of Zitao and Sehun kissing was burnt right into his retinas..the look on their faces..the sheer..  
 _want_

_Ew ew eww ewww_

 

His heart was pounding, and droplets of sweat pooled into his lower back

_Dammit_

 

Why was he getting so affected..

_Like Xiumin said, it’s their business.._

It has nothing to do with me!!

 

That’s right…. It has nothing to do with me..

 

Sehun’s my friend…

 

Even earlier…. we’ve never talked about any girl he was with or anything – we don’t discuss our love lives at all!! I’ve never bothered in the slightest about who he was dating..

 

_So it doesn’t make any difference now!!_

 

 

 

Lu Han ran to catch upto Xiumin, and, after scolding at him for leaving him behind, started walking by his side  
‘ _But what in the world were they thinking the idiots! Anyone could have seen them just now!!’_  
This time Xiumin turned to him in complete agreement ‘I know right!!! Lucky for them it was us, but if anyone else had seen…  
Of course, that wing is supposed to be empty..  
And you can’t really see into the Arts room from anywhere else…’

_‘But still!!’_

‘Yeah!!Well, anyway, Lu Han, we shouldn’t say anything about this –

‘Yeah, yeah, no, of course not, obviously!’

 

 

They continued walking, detouring to the office to hand over the books, then making their way back to class just as the bell went

 

But the weird uneasiness gripping Lu Han tightened all the more, as the minutes passed

Xiumin was no help at all, he seemed to have dismissed it entirely…  
Everyone in class..everyone was so  _normal…_  
There was even an ongoing discussion about how ‘hot Zitao is’ , and the girls were already arguing about how they were going to go cheer at the tournament..

Involuntarily, the image of Tao’s hands clenching into Sehun’s shirt flashed into his mind, and Lu Han hastily turned away, trying to stop listening  
 _They none of them have a clue_

‘Yehet!! I thought I would be late!’ Sehun pranced into class right then, making everyone laugh and tease him, and in more than one case, nag at him for not taking them along to help make the posters for ‘Duizhang’(at some point, all the fangirls in the class had taken to calling him that)  
‘Eehh~~ but you guys were busy eating… I didn’t wanna disturb you!’ Sehun retorted cheekily, grabbing a biscuit from the packet Wei held open in one hand  
‘Oyy!! Sehun!’  
Winking apologetically, with the cheeky grin intact, Sehun patted Wei’s shoulder  
‘It’s fine, right, I didn’t have any lunch at all..’  
‘EEhh!! Se xiong is soo mean! I’d have skipped lunch too!!’  
‘Yeah, me too! I wanted to help!!!’  
‘Zitao jun’d have  _had_ to thank us properly if we even skipped our lunch to work!’  
‘yeeeah!! He’d have smiled at us like  _that_ …’

 

Filled with equal parts disgust, and a strange, cloying curiosity, Lu Han found himself watching Sehun closely, with full concentration, as the conversation spun on, the girls squealing in dreamy voices

 

_There._

 

_How had he managed to miss that blush on his face whenever anyone said Zitao’s name?!_

 

And that!  
the way he chewed his lip to shyly hide a smile…

 

_Ewww_

_Like he’s a girl_

 

_It’s so disgusting!!!!_

 

 _He’s behaving_ just  _like a girl!!!_

 

The next second,  he slammed his palm against the table, hard enough to send a shooting stab of pain right to his elbow

 

Hastily, he smiled and waved at everyone who had looked over in concern, fixing a grin on his face, and apologetic  
‘Sorry, sorry, I just dozed off there for a bit..’  
‘Eehh!! Lu Han, are you that tired??’  
‘Lu Han!! Would you like some chocolate?’  
‘Lu, I’ll get you some coffee from the vending machine, k, just hold on – ‘  
‘No, no, thank you guys, I’m fine, it’s nothing!’  
‘Eehh..then  someone must have eaten a big lunch…’  
‘ _yeah.._ it was dumplings in the Caf today, wasn’t it~~’  
Sticking his tongue out at in the general direction of the crowd,  who were now laughing their heads off at him, Lu Han bent his head down again, to the trig note he’d randomly pulled open on his table,  deep furrows frowning over his face as he turned away from everyone

 

_How could he have…_

 

More than anyone else,  _he_ knew what it was like, to be at the receiving end of those sort of comments

‘ _Just like a girl’_  
 _‘Look at her blushing..’_  
 _‘What a girly smile..’_

Yeah.  
He knew how that felt.

And here he was, thinking the same thing about Sehun!!

Sehun’s my friend!!!

_He’s one of my best friends..and here I am…doing the same thing to him.._

Groaning, he buried his face in his hands

 _He couldn’t._  
He musn’t.

No matter what, he couldn’t turn on Sehun like that.

 

‘Alright!’  
As Chen Laoshi walked in, and everyone stood to bow, (following Beni’s called out orders, since Tao wasn’t there), Lu Han whispered under his breath vehemently, clenching his fist.  
He’d keep on Sehun’s side.  
 How could he let something like this affect the way he thought about him!?  
He’d be Sehun’s friend, and like he was supposed to be, he’d support him no matter what.

 

‘Okay guys, when you get this type of problem,’ Chen Laoshi started, wiping his fingers slightly to get the chalk powder off of them  
‘You have to first change it to fit into one of these forms…’  
As the class progressed, Lu Han found his mind wandering again

_Xiumin._

 

 

When….everyone teased him with Xiumin…

 

!!!!!!!!

 

 _This_ was what they meant!!!

 

Of course, he’d known they meant that he was in love with him or whatever..  
But it had never actually hit him before..

 _It had never_ meant  _anything to him before.._ just empty words..

But now....  
....he knew.

 _That’s_ what they meant!?  
 _That he was.....  
Tongzhi!!_

 

Him…and  _Xiumin….._ like Zitao and Sehun???  
Hugging… holding each other and talking and petting and….  
 _Kissing_

 

Like….they were  _starving_ for each other..

_Ki_ _ssing_

_!?_

 

‘Lu Han!?!!’

 

‘Hu…Ah! Sorry, laoshi!!’ Lu Han hurriedly bowed in apology  
 _Dammit he’d actually leapt up to his feet in….._  
 _Shock?_  
 _Disgust…?_  
His hands shaking, he turned to pick up his chair that had fallen over

‘He must’ve fallen asleep again!’  
‘poor Lu Han’s sleep walking today!!’  
‘Sorry, Sorry!’ bowing and apologising, Lu Han sat back down, while everyone laughed  
‘Eeeh~ didn’t you get enough sleep last night~~’ Chen Laoshi laughed, joining in the teasing  
‘Laoshi, it wasn’t that, he just ate too much lunch-’  
‘Yeah-‘

‘ _He ate too much dumplings~~’_

The class chorused, laughing gleefully, exchanging arched looks, and winking at each other, pointedly looking over at him..  
Like usual.

Like they always did

Only... _this time_...-

'SHUTTUP!’ Slamming his hands on the table, Lu Han jumped up again, yelling, his face contorted in anger  
‘ _Shuttup!!!’_

‘Lu Han…?’  
Everyone gasped and stared at him, shock pooling in their faces.  
What the….??

For more’n a year, they’d done just this, teasing him. Goofing off…..and not once, never ever, had he actually..gotten..mad  
He’d protested, but laughing and playing along..  
This was..

‘SHUTTUP!! What the hell are you guys trying to say, huh??!!! What exactly are you implying??!!!! How  _dare_ you….’  
His heart was pounding so hard again..so loud..flashing red searing into his skull..  
The sweat beaded on his face and neck, and trickled soggy underneath his uniform shirt and regulation pullover  
 _Dammit_

_DAMMIT!!_

_How could they say such things.._

_Xiumin…_

 

 

‘Everyone, that’s enough, now. Let’s get back to work. Lu Han…why don’t you go wash your face and come back..’  
Chen Laoshi waved him over, and gently patted his shoulder, frowning as he watched the pretty little boy stomp out of the class, fists clenched by his side  
‘Guys….’ Once he was out of hearing, Chen Laoshi turned back to the class, giving them a concerned look.. his eyes taking in the girls who were biting their lips, with eyes starting to gleam wet..  
Wei kicking the leg of his table, his face buried in his chest  
Fang pretending to be engrossed in picking the loose piece of skin at the side of his finger nail  
Guilt trickling in coldly into their expressions..  
Sehun in the corner, looking blank and shocked…  
Mai, Beni, Zhang, Li and the rest, who didn’t hang out with what was popularly known in the Teachers’ Room as the ‘II B crowd’ , were looking utterly curious..some even  _gloating_  faces looking hungrily at the door through which the popular kid had vanished…

‘Guys. The question is on the board, c’mon, I’ll give you 3 mins more, or everyone gets 15 theorems from the workbook for homework.’  
‘Laa—osshii!!’  
With crescending whines, and dire grumblings, everyone turned back to their books, pages turning, and pencils clicking out… before silence gradually descended over them again.  
Chen Laoshi sighed, his eyes turning to the soft fluffy flakes of snow that had started drifting past the windows.  
 _Teenagers were really a troublesome lot_

Hmm..?

The class had their heads bowed over their books, some muttering under their breath as they tried to remember formulae (Wei) or writing rapidly, pausing only to add a flourish at the end of a set (Mai).. except for two

Sehun, who was frowning unseeingly at his bare table  
And Xiumin, who was burning a hole through the wall with his eyes

Chen Laoshi sighed again.  
Maybe he should get someone to talk to these three…  
After all, Lu han’s outburst wasn’t just exaggerated and uncalled for, it was also highly out of character – even in the midst of the most intense matches, the school soccer ace  _never_  lost his cool

_Aahah. Teenagers really are a troublesome lot._

 

 

 

 

‘Sehun..?’  
‘No, no, you guys go ahead! I’m going home today’  
‘Eeehh~~ Whyyy’  
‘It’s no fun without Sexiong! Ne~~ tell him Lu Han!!’  
‘Sehun, c’mon, it’s a special one day only sale!’  
‘Aaahhh… sorry guys!’ Sehun grinned ‘I have some stuff to do today…’  
‘Eeeh~~’ Lu Han grinned back at him, teasingly, tapping his nose. ‘Gottit.  _Stuff_ to do..  
Well, then, there’s no helping it, right..  
Let’s go, guys!’  
Lu Han laughed as he turned to chivvy the still protesting bunch off, leaving Sehun behind, still apologizing, while not looking the slightest bit sorry, and sticking his tongue out at him

The rest of the day had passed smoothly – ever since Lu Han had come back to class, water streaming off his face like he’d dunked his entire head under, he’d been acting perfectly normal – his normal, perfectly suave, cool, and cute self, and everyone had heaved enormous sighs of relief - If Lu Han had been seriously mad at them, they didn’t know  _what_  they’d do! He’d even invited everyone out to the boutique chocolate shop, that was having a special pre Christmas sale. It was too bad Sehun couldn’t go though –

‘Aaaaawww’  
‘Well, c’mon, its no use draggin our feet here’  
‘Huh.. _i_ should be the one whining..aren’t I good enough?? Everyone loves Sehun, and no one cares if I’m here or not..’ Lu Han fake-pouted, making everyone burst out laughing, and protest, and, with Rina and Suki grabbing hold of one of his arms each, they left

Watching them go, Sehun smiled at their backs – that afternoon was the first time in  _ever_ that he’d heard Lu Han yell…but thank goodness, it was nothing after all!  
Smiling even broader, he set off in the opposite direction –

 

Back into the school gates.

 

 

Stealthily sneaking around the grounds, he made his way to the back courtyard, where the Wushu club had their hall. As he’d thought, Tao was already outside, fighting with that damn tree – he giggled under his breath – no matter how many times he saw it, it was  _seriously_ hilarious, okay!

But…  
Watching closely, to the background of the shouts and yells coming from inside the hall, that were echoing through the already silent quad, and classrooms and corridors, he could see the difference..  
Tao’d always been amazing.. and granted, he didn’t know much about the sport..

But..

 

The way his punches landed so cleanly..

Every time he spun and lashed out, his foot, or his fist hit the precise exact spot – over and over.. the bark had already splintered off the area, the sap trickling through..

 

Similar dead patches lined the trunk – even reaching above his head!!

 

It had been forever since he’d been able to watch his hunky boyfriend like this, and grinning to himself, he settled down on one of the stone outcroppings beside the statue of the political leader in the centre of the courtyard, enjoying spying on Tao

 

…..so much so, that it was only when darkness started falling duskily over the winter-bared treetops, that he remembered what he’d come for!  
‘ _Crap!’_

Jumping up, he inched towards Tao, taking care to keep well out of sight of the open hall door

 

‘ _Tao’_  
He hissed, trying to get his attention

 

………

‘ _Taaooo!!’_

 

 

‘ _Tao_ _!!!’_

 

Huh..

Tao couldn’t even hear him – he was  _that_ focused on his practice.  
Man…he was really pushing himself so hard, the darling!!

 

Wait..

 

Why was he smiling, he always did Wushu with a  _super_ serious face – that was one of the times Sehun found him hottest, after all, it was that typical Tao-style 180degree personality change, when he suddenly turned into this  _utterly_ handsome, devastatingly manly knockout

‘Bwahahahahhaaaa!!’ Suddenly, totally out of the blue, Tao burst into laughter,  stuffing his fist into his mouth to try and stop, but still spluttering through it

‘Huh?’

Tao weakly leaned against the tree, his wild hoots turning to giggles that shook his shoulders in spasms . Slowly, he tilted his head to look right at Sehun – then burst out laughing again

 

‘Huuuhhhh???!!!’

 

‘I…was..wondering when..you’d.. get bored of sitting quietly there, like a polite, obedient child, and come over...'  
‘…I’m always poli – no, wait, more importantly, i’m not a child!!  
Wait, not that either--   _you knew I was there?_!’  
‘of course, idiot, what am I, blind??! Plus…I’m always super sensitive when you’re around, I can tell exactly where you are easily!’  
‘……… …………….  
aarrghh!! You’re so annoying!!’ Blushing, and squeezing his eyes tight in embarrassment ( _honestly, how the hell could he just say such EMBARRASSING things so easily!!_ ), Sehun gritted the words out. ‘Don’t think I came to watch you or anything, I was just passing by!!’  
‘…of course, for three fourths of an hour..’ Tao giggled, making Sehun stamp a foot  
‘Shuddup! Tao’s just a big  _stupid_. I’m going to your house!’

 

‘..huh?..’  
‘I’m going to your house’  
‘…why?’  
‘Tao!! So I can pick up whatever you need, you’re staying with me for 3 days, right??!! So, what do you need? I’ll pack everything and bring them over, you come straight home when you finish this’  
‘…Hunnie, thank you! But really, it’s fine, I’ll go home, get what I need, and then come to your place – ‘  
‘That’ll take too long!!’ Sehun cut him off, tossing his head bossily.’ Hurry up and tell me what you need!!’  
‘Eeh~~ can’t stay without me even for a half hour, huh…’

Over Sehun’s protests, and exclamations that ‘Tao can just go  _die’_  and ‘who the hell wants you to stay, anyway’ Tao typed out a list, and messaged it to him

‘Gottit?’

‘Hmm.... Yeah!’

‘It’s the blue algebra notebook, k, not the red one..  
And –‘

‘why’ve you put shampoo and stuff down!?’

‘Huh..coz…I’m gonna have at least one bath in 3 days??’

‘I  _have_ shampoo at my place!’  
‘..Err..well..’ Tao looked away, blushing himself now ‘I can’t..impose on you so much..i mean..i should at least..use my own..’  
‘ _Huuuuuhhh!!??_ Tao’s a big  _idiot_!!!’  
‘Plus – Hunnie…I’ll end up smelling exactly like you and…’  
‘Oh’

Blushing as fiery crimson as Tao now, Sehun felt a sharp jolt of pleasure (and desire) at the thought –

Tao..smelling exactly..like..him..

In school and..

Everyone would…

 

_I want that!!!_

 

Coughing chokingly over the words, trying to find a reason to fight him down, Sehun turned a glare on Tao ‘Who the hell is getting close enough to  _smell_ you?!!’  
‘Ehh…..Huh??!!  _obviously No one!!!’_ Tao quickly jerked around, to answer him, waving his hands in denial  
‘The…..Then its fine right!! Stupid Tao!!’  
Muttering, Sehun quickly turned around, bopping noises as he deleted everything off the list that he didn’t want  
‘Oyy!! Wat else are you – ‘  
‘Shuttup, you don’t get to pick anymore’ Turning only his head to stick his tongue out at him, Sehun grinned his trademark cheeky smile, that had Tao feeling like his heart skipped a beat

‘I’m going, then..See ya!’ He broke into a trot, heading back towards the gates...where the cast iron grill bled heavy onyx against the pristine white snow

‘Hun-ah! You okay with the way?’ Tao suddenly called out, when he snapped out of his ‘Omg, Sehun’s sooo cute, and  _adorable_ what a brat, honestly, he’s soo cute!!’ internal monologue with a foolish smile on his face, watching Sehun walk away  
‘Huh!? Of course!! I’ve been to your house, idiot!’  
‘Well..alright…be careful!’  
‘Yeah, yeah’ He flashed him a ‘V’ sign ‘Come home soon, k!’

_Dammit, that somehow sounded so good – Sehun telling him ‘come home’!! Like..they were…._

‘Umm! See ya!’

 

Still smiling, his cheeks a dusty pink, Tao turned back to the tree, laying his palm flat against the torn bark for a moment, and taking a deep breath, before moving into his stances

 

‘Mmggfhh!!’ Bo Xian spluttered incoherently, as Chan Ye smacked a hand over his mouth and dragged him away from the window, where he’d been watching avidly, his nose pressed up right against the pane  
'Shuttup!’  
‘But..omg, Chan Ye – duizhang!!!! duizhang..and…Sehun..!!’  
‘ _Shuttup!!_ I’m serious, not a word!!’  
‘EEeeeeehhh~~ but this is like, 50yrs worth of teasing material right here!!’ With a gleeful smile, and a wicked gleam in his eyes, Bo Xian spun away from him.‘I’m sooooooo never gonna let them live this down!!’  
‘ _Bo Xian!!_ Seriously, man, don’t even think about it!! This…isn’t something you can just…’  
‘ _c’mooonnn!!’_  
 _‘_ Dude!! You won’t be able to laugh it off afterwards!! This is….too…big, it’s not a joke!!’  
‘Well….fine, fine, killjoy..’‘ _they’re_  the idiots..’ ….’broad daylight’….’Just because I’m so sweet..’ grumbling under his breath, Bo Xian hefted the rolled up mats, and went out to the main hall

Chan Ye heaved a sigh of relief.  _He was right, of course – what were they thinking, honestly!!_  
 _If anyone else had seen…_ He shuddered at the thought  
 _For duizhang’s sake, they couldn’t let anyone else know!!_

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next three days were the best Sehun could ever imagine.

He’d gone to Tao’s place, and packed a backpack with just one uniform and a single pair of shorts (and refusing to let Tao go over to get more, thereby necessitating him to wear Sehun’s clothes for the duration of the three days, his sense of possessiveness and pride almost feeling like they’d burst through his chest everytime he saw him) and returned home with a giant carrier box of Yuki Nainai’s homemade snacks (a painful trickle of guilt filling him at how she kept apologizing for making so much – wouldn’t his mother mind, etc) (which was sharpened infinite times, when Tao’s mom came home  just as he was leaving, having hurried back from work, and thanked him so effusively, and expressing her gratitude to his parents so sincerely, that it was only the thought of her anger and disappointment that kept Sehun from breaking down and confessing right then and there)

Back home, he’d suddenly felt oddly nervous…he wasn’t sure what time Tao would get back, and after pacing up and down for 10 minutes, he'd felt so jittery he’d even started cleaning up while waiting for Tao – who actually cried tears of laughter, when he finally showed up only to find Sehun in an apron, with a cloth tied around his head, balancing on a stool to clean the top of the kitchen cabinets with a multicoloured fluffy duster  
Offended and embarrassed, Sehun had refused to speak to him – which of course, Tao took as a challenge – and 25 minutes later, when he flopped down weakly against Tao’s chest, on the freezing kitchen floor,  his throat slightly raw, and his breath rasping through his swollen lips, Sehun had to admit Tao’d totally won  
It felt so incredibly good to finish bathing and pulling on his pajamas hurriedly, and walk into his bedroom, to see Tao there, his presence seeming to fill the cold room entirely, sending spools of warmth like cotton candy, wrapping around him  
Even arguing as Tao found the bag he’d packed was super fun – He could basically do whatever he wanted, Tao couldn’t do a  _thing_ when he smiled at him… all he had to do was pout a bit, and the 183cm tall, unbelievably ripped Wushu captain would melt like soft chocolate on a summer’s day, and Sehun couldn’t help squealing a little bit in his throat at the thought  
Climbing into his lap with a heaped plate of hot food, which they’d shared for dinner, fighting over the division of chicken pieces…. Being forced by Tao to finish his Language homework, even though he’d carefully explained how, by doing it himself, he was destroying the dreams of all the girls who were just  _waiting_ to do it for him during free period the next day…. Cuddling into his warm strength as they curled up together in bed, the room bathed in inky darkness, broken only by the shards of golden light fragmenting past the curtains from the lamppost outside…  
Drowsily kissing each other goodnight, as he fell asleep, his face buried in Tao’s chest, the sound of his heartbeat striking poignantly into him, so precious and beautiful, and somehow making him feel safer than he ever had…   
Being woken up by Tao’s kisses in the middle of the night, thoroughly aroused even before he was fully conscious…murmuring, ‘Aren’t you too tired’ through barely parted lips only to have Tao growl ‘This much is fine’ in urgent, burning huffs right into his ear – before his tongue followed, his fingers reaching down to graze against Sehun’s hardening dick through his pants, waking him right up

‘Tao..stop…’

‘Hmm? Why, do you hate it?’

‘N..no..uh!’

Tao abruptly slid his icy cold fingers into his pants, curling them against his hot flesh, making him gasp and jerk reflexively

‘Ta..o..wai..t..’

Unheeding, Tao pushed his pants down, freeing him completely, and, sliding his tongue into his mouth, serpenting, coiling thickly, he started pumping his hand up and down the length of his shaft, clenching and unclenching his fingers..

Tightly

 

‘Mmmnnff..’

 

 

 

‘Uhh…’

 

 

‘Ta..o..mmh..’

 

As the heat knifed through him, Sehun broke away, swallowing the thick dribble of saliva filling his mouth, and turning on his side, reaching to cup both hands around Tao’s sweaty face..pulled him in to kiss him properly, softly sucking each lip

Then sliding  _his_ hand down, to stroke Tao’s bulge, through the slick material of the shorts he’d borrowed from him

‘Sehun, you don’t need to-‘  
‘Shut..tup..’ Sehun whispered breathily, pushing his hands into his clothes…stroking over his dick, which was fully hard, and curled up all the way…  
Tao groaned, and reached for him again, fisting around him…

They pumped their hands in tandem, breaking off to stroke along the tip of Sehun’s… to cup Tao’s balls….

‘Mnnuuuhh’

 

‘Ggnnfff’

 

‘Ah!Wah..’ Sehun groaned out loud in pleasure as Tao pulled him closer, slipping one hand under his thigh to tug it over his own, and shifting onto his elbow..  
So their dicks were grazing..touching against each other…

He’d realised suddenly that Tao must’ve switched on the light at some point – but the next second, that random thought was also wiped away as Tao pushed himself even closer, and clenched his fingers over both their dicks, pressing them together

‘Ahh!!!’

The sensation had felt so incredible, it was almost painful, Tao wrapping his fingers around both of them, and starting to move it up and down..  
Sehun pushed his hand over too, closing the gap around Tao’s encircling fingers, pressing tighter, and pumping along with him

It had been like unbelievably sexy – their dicks, engorged and thick and angrily bruising against each other, the force of their movements slipping over the smoothness of their shafts....the tips glistening wetly as trickles of their precum oozed, mingling together and disappearing slimily between the frantic jerking of their hands, their fingers biting into each other, and their cocks, rapidly thrusting clenching..

‘Se..hun..don’t..’  
‘Uunrrg?’  
‘Don’t..close…uhhhh don’t close your eyes..’Tao gasped, but somehow commandingly still, squeezing his fingers with extra pressure, strong enough to make Sehun’s lids fly open, the tears rushing into them as he cried out in pain

_Watch…_

The spikes of pleasure shot through him brutally  as he forced himself to look…

Their wet……swollen….dicks.. his tip naked and exposed, gleaming against Tao’s, which reared out of that fold of skin… red and oozing .. Tao’s hands…fingers…between..under..his own…

 

It was like, just by looking, the sensations had been sharpened a hundred fold, the knowledge, the actual evidence of what they were doing, taking him over

 

‘Mmmngggnn..Taoo..i’m…’

 

‘Just…hold..one..uuhhgg’

 

With matching grunts, they’d both jerked violently, creamy thick cum spilling out..

 

As their movements slowed, Sehun gasped In huge lungfuls of air,as he collapsed onto the bed, his eyes flickering shut the moment his head hit the pillow – drawing a gravelly chuckle from Tao as he turned back, after reaching around to pull fistfuls of tissue paper from the box on the nightstand, to find him curled up against him, fast asleep.  
Wiping them both down, Tao tossed the wadded up tissue on the floor, and flipped off the lights, before burrowing deep under the covers, pulling Sehun closer to wrap his arms around him, and kiss him over the top of his head, the movement somehow drowsily translating itself into his dreams, making him smile in his sleep, and turn even nearer to Tao, wiggling as close to him as possible.......

 

They had walked to school together the next morning, after breakfasting on Tao’s homemade sandwiches (with more packed into a box for him, for no more charge than an ‘Aahh, I wish I could have something to take for lunch, I’m too busy nowadays to go to the Caf,’ in drawn out tones while pouting), walking hand in hand almost upto the third year corridor, where they split, Tao to the club room, and Sehun to the Arts dep.

The day had flown by like that – somehow, just having spent so much time with Tao, after so long..somehow, it felt like he could  _breathe_ again..  
[the others noticed it too, more than one person asking , ‘if something good had happened’, and Lu Han teasing him about ‘that stuff you had to do yesterday’]  
He’d spent every possible second in the Arts room, with a crowd that seemed to have swollen significantly, for some inexplicable reason now even encompassing third years, kids from the other second year class…with a good bunch of boys joining in too! In fact,  _Sehun_ had had a hard time trying to convince people that the posters and banners should have the school name, and cheers, instead of all being emblazoned with ‘TAO’

In the evening, he slipped away from his friends again, making his way to the school grounds ‘round 7:30pm, when he estimated Tao would be done with practice, and this time, determined not to be spotted, crawled painfully right into the middle of an evergreen bush near the gate  
Making a small hole right through, he tucked himself in tight, and waited for Tao to leave, prepared to jump out and scare him – he couldn’t resist, Tao’s high pitched screams of utter terror that spilled out, from even the littlest thing,  were just too delicious to pass up on

But, unfortunately, when Club let up, the eventuality Sehun hadn’t considered occurred – Tao came out surrounded by a bunch of people, all excitedly discussing something, Chan Ye draping one arm around Tao’s shoulders, as he laughed at something Bo Xian was saying on his other side.

 

_crap_

 

 

 

_crap!!!!_

 

 The group  came to a stop right opposite the bush he was in – still talking animatedly  
 ‘……And if  _they’ve_ dropped out, that means the Nanquan set’s in the bag!!’  
‘ _I know, right!!_ That Wan Lau dude was the one I was  _most_ worried about..’  
‘Seriously, man! He’s amazing…I  can’t believe he’s in first year..’  
‘But, now their school has pulled out, we’re top seeded!!!!!!’  
‘I wonder what happened, though..’  
‘Who the hell cares - duizhang, we’re going all the way this time!!’  
‘Yeah!’ Tao’s voice sent shivers racing up and down Sehun’s spine, and as the crowd shifted and moved –  _There! That leg was totally Tao’s_  
‘But even if they hadn’t I wasn’t too worried’  
‘Huh?’  
‘I have full faith in our awesome threesome!!’ Tao laughed, patting Baekhyun’s shoulder, Sehun craning and twisting his head as much as possible to try and follow his movements – but it was no use, he really couldn’t see above thigh level…  
The others joined in, laughing, and the conversation turned to the freaky costume that had been delivered for Chan Ye  
‘WHY was it only  _mine_ that got screwed up!!’  
‘And…and…the …leg..came till  _here_ ’… Bo Xian wheezed, clutching his stomach and laughing as he ran his hand over Chan Ye’s butt, making him yelp and jump out the way  
‘Shuttup, It wasn’t that bad, okay, it came to my knee..’  
Chan Ye tried to defend himself, folding his arms across his chest

Inside the bush, Sehun wriggled in discomfort – his leg was falling asleep, and it totally felt like something was crawling up his back – he knew it was in his head, it was  _just_ in his head..  
But..  
He could feel little feet!!  
'Come on, come on come on' He whispered under his breath, willing them to move off  
 _This is totally all that idiot’s fault!_

‘Who told you to grow into a beanpole’  
‘Hey! I haven’t grown an inch since last month, when she came to take the measurements!’ Protesting in vain, Chan Ye finally gave up, waving his hands in a ‘bring it on’ motion as everyone laughed and goofed around  
‘But…seriously..the fringes..’ Bo Xian went on, doubling over, still unable to speak properly through his laughter, and his helpless spluttering set everyone off again

 

_The leaves were growing thorns, its prickling!!_

_And..that one..in front of his face.._  
 _He couldn’t move without shaking the whole bush, then they’d…_  
 _Ah!_  
In the process of helping Bo Xian up, Tao had moved – to come stand right in front of him  
 _He wouldn’t get another chance this good_

Reaching out his hand, through the little peephole he’d made, praying no one was looking in that direction, he slowly extended two fingers, hooked then into the cloth of Tao’s trousers – and tugged

And regretted it deeply the next second, as Tao  _Yelled_  
Screaming his head off in a high pitched voice, he actually jumped a foot off the ground

 

_Crap!!!!!!!!!!!!_

 

Quickly, Sehun yanked his hand back as everyone rounded on Tao in concern  
‘duizhang?!!?’  
‘What happened??!!’  
‘Duizhang…did you just…’  
‘Duizhang, are you okay??’  
  
‘There..was..something…’  
  
‘Huh?’  
  
‘A bug!! It must’ve been  a bug.. on my leg!!’  
‘A…bug…’  
‘Yeah!! A BUG!!! On my leg!!!’ Tao’s voice rose in panic just from the memory, he jumped a few more times, violently stamped his foot, and shook his pant leg like he was going to pull it off

 

_Omg the idiot!!_

 

The rest of the Wushu club gaped open mouthed, at their fearless leader prancing about like  a little girl in fear of a  _bug_  – till Bo Xian lost it, and burst into wild hoots of laughter, tears streaming down his face as he started imitating Tao. Soon everyone was laughing, clutching at each other and falling about, wheezing out ‘There’s..nothing there…Duizhang’ and ‘Its..winter….’ ‘Yeah..it’s snowing – there aren’t any bugs out now..’  
Ignoring them, Tao spun around, trying to shake off whatever had gotten on him – and then knelt in the snow, peering fearfully about for the bug – and jumped a foot again, clutching his chest, as his eyes met Sehun’s, grimacing out at him through the leaves

Quickly, he clambered to his feet, placing himself squarely in front of the bush

‘Aah…err..ehehe…it was nothing…my bad!’ He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head

‘But, omg, duizhang, are you really that scared of  _bugs_?’

‘Gerroff, gerroff!’ Bo Xian kept imitating Tao, shaking his trousers even more exaggeratedly, and spinning round and round

‘Shuddup, Bo Xian!’ Tao growled, blushing  - making everyone laugh yet again, but this time with a few admiring glances thrown in – of course, he looked super cute when he did that – plus, this was a whole new side of their strict Captain, they had never seen before…and somehow…it made him seem suddenly…warmer? Closer to them…and after worshipping him unquestionably for so long, it felt like an unbelievable thrill, to see him..like this…

 ‘Okay guys, lets-‘

‘But, I would never have guessed that our Duizhang was afraid of  _bugs_ ’  
‘Yeah. Yeah, gerrof me! Hahaha, omg, if a cockroach lands on the mat during your Taolu..’  
‘Aah, but Duizhang like this is really cute, ne~’  
‘You two, shuttup!’ Tao glared at Chan Ye and Bo Xian, but was totally ignored as they just went right on teasing. Giving up on that, Tao went back to attempting to get them away, to make everyone leave – so he could freely kill that dumbhead under the bush  
‘Guys. Guys! It’s late, we should – ‘  
‘But, Duizhaanngg~~ don’t we get a treat before the tournament??’  
‘Yeah! You know, a last ‘good luck’ sorta thing!’  
‘Yeah!! All of us should go!!’  
‘Fine, fine, tomorrow, then, tomorrow evening, we can – ‘  
‘Nooo, I wanna go today!!’  
‘Yeah, Duizhang, pretty pleeassseee!’

Tao pulled his leg quickly away, biting his tongue to keep down the ‘Oww’ as Sehun reached out and pinched him, _much_ harder this time, digging his fingers into his flesh

‘So-sorry guys, today I can’t…I have to get home..sorry…’

Somehow making his apologies, Tao managed to get everyone moving, and they walked along together, still talking in loud, excited tones.. Biding everyone goodbye at the crossing at the end of the road, he headed off towards the right side turning – then doubled back, and made his way back to school

To the gate, and the bush beside it, which was now shaking something fierce, like it was possessed by a particularly violent spirit

 _‘Or a particularly cute one_ ’ Tao thought, as he covered his mouth with his hands to stifle his laughter at the grunts and expletives and frequent huffs that proceeded from it, as Sehun struggled to make his way out

‘Se…hu..n..hold..on..i’ll.. -  
OUUCCHH!! Sehun, it’s me!!’ Tao’d worked one hand into the thicket to grab hold of him – only to be kicked,  _hard,_  by one heavily booted foot

‘I  _know_ it’s you, you idiot, stop laughing!!’

‘I’m not..i wasn’t…’ giving up, he collapsed onto the ground on his butt, laughing his head off, making Sehun now add him to the list of things he was viciously cursing (along with the bush, the weather, the club, himself for being so sweet..)

‘Sehun-ah! Look, this part’s less thick, crawl over here’  
Finally, Tao managed to stop laughing long enough to help him out, and brush away carefully at the brambles still clinging to his clothes, while Sehun stood there pouting, letting him clean him up like a potentiate granting a great favour to a lowly supplicant, making Tao laugh even harder at the tilt of his nose as he stuck it in the air

This served only to make him thrust it even higher, and Sehun kept sulking, all the way home – not helped in the slightest by Tao doubling over every few steps, giggling helplessly - ‘How…how did you manage to get  _in_ ‘……  
and  
‘ _Whyyy did you…_ ’Till finally, realising Sehun was  _actually_ pissed at him, he did what any good boyfriend would do – bought him a pint of chocolate ice cream at the very next convenience store

Beaming, Sehun wrapped both hands around the carton, hugging it into his chest, as he rubbed his cheek into Tao’s shoulder , like a contented little kitten, forgiving him completely, as they rounded the last corner to his house

 

 

 

It was around 11 o’clock, and they’d both bathed and dressed in Sehun’s oversized Tees and sports team shorts, baked up a breaded steak and were just about to dig in when the lights went out

 

‘Ah!’

‘Aaaahhh this is bad!’

‘Is it just here?....’ Tao got up, making his way gingerly to the window ‘Hunnah, the ones across the street are out too!’,br>Sehun got up too, walking over to where the light from the streetlamp glowed all the brighter in the surrounding darkness, spilling over Tao as he leaned to look out, shimmering in amber icicles  
‘Yeah…last time it took three hours..’  
‘Last time!?’ Tao turned to him, scowling ‘Does this happen often?!’  
‘Hmm…. Sometimes..what’r you –'  
‘Sehun!! You live alone!!! Wha- How is this okay, what if something – ‘  
Sehun giggled, pulling Tao’s arms around himself, leaning his chin against Tao’s chest, and looking up at him cheekily  
‘What, someone’ll cut the wires, n make a blackout just so they can sneak into my house?’  
Tao just glared at him, making him howl with laughter and continue– ‘I was just  _kidding_ you idiot, theres no way that could actually happen right??!’  
‘You bet it won’t’  
His mouth set in grim lines, Tao turned away  
‘I’m calling the building manager tomorrow. ‘

Sighing, Sehun followed him, holding onto the back of his shirt  
‘Don’t you think you’re overreacti – ‘  
‘No.’ Tao snapped  
‘…Fine, fine..have it your way……wait, where are you going?’  
Tao sighed too, and stopped, to pull him against himsellf, rubbing up and down Sehun's bare arm ‘If the electricity is out, the heater’s gonna fail… what do you do to keep warm?’  
‘Ah’ Sehun nodded, and tugged his hand, leading him to the kitchen  
‘The stove still works, so I just light it, and it basically warms the whole kitchen..’ his voice trailing off as he noticed the Tao’s forbidding expression

‘Zii~taaooo! It’s fine, I’m not a baby, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself!!’

‘…Oh  _really_..’

A sudden wicked gleam sparked into his eyes and Tao grabbed him, tickling him as he lifted him onto the counter, bringing his lips level with his chest to blow raspberries against his skin  
Sehun laughed and giggled, and wiggled, pushing him away – then, hit by a sudden shaft of affection, wrapped both arms around his soft, silky head, and pulled him close, holding his face tightly against his chest. Giggling, he rubbed his nose into the top of his head, making blubbery noses  
'NffbbbffhhTaotaofnfnn....bbnnffff' 

 

 

 

 

* * *

Presenting chapter 15, a really long chapter in which absolutely nothing happens ['cept for odd and abrupt changes in tense for God only knows what reason]

[ヾ((●＞□＜)ﾉ*:..sorry..:*ヽ(＞□＜●))ﾉｼ i really did try it in the  _right_ tense, but it just read too...musty if you know what i mean ( ≧Д≦)] [basically this is just a bridging chapter, to the next one !(•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑  which will hopefully be better orz, so plllleease don't judge me too harshly for this ｡ﾟ(TヮT)ﾟ｡] 


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Tao wrapped his own arms around him, holding him close for a moment in the cold blue darkness

 

Then he moved away, to turn on the stove

‘Ah!’ Sehun suddenly clambered up, standing on his tip toes to reach over to the top of the cabinet  
‘Taotao, look!’ In the swaying yellow and blue from the fire, that alternatively bathed over him in glimmering shadows, he shook a carton at him, a proud beam on his face  
‘Hmm?’  
‘Ehehe~ isn’t it good I cleaned up~’ He nodded to the side,blowing out a whistle of air, clearly impressed with himself, as he climbed down ‘I’m such a good house keeper~~’  
‘What is it?’ Tao asked, reaching for the box, laughing at him  
‘Whoops~’ Sticking his tongue out at him, Sehun pulled it higher at the last minute, making Tao stumble as he stretched out his arm, movement following Sehun’s  
‘Heehee-‘ Sehun sniggered superiorly, before he was cut off abruptly as Tao’s hands closed around the front of his shirt instead, to yank him right off the counter –

 

for a split second he was totally airborne –

 

but before the scream could reflexively spill from his lips, he had crashed right into Tao’s arms, as he enfolded him in them – before threading his fingers into his clothes to tickle him

 

‘MmmfnnfTaostop..stop..St..aop…’ Giggling, Sehun started whacking Tao with the box, till he finally managed to wiggle free and collapsed against the floor cabinets, still laughing up at Tao, who was now looming over him, the light from the fire glinting wickedly over the glass of his spectacles  
‘Gimme’ he held out his palm, and Sehun grinned, ‘Fiine, fiiinneee’. Dragging out the words, he reached up to place the box in Tao’s hand –  
Then feinted away, leaping to his feet, box still clutched tightly between his fingers as he pushed past Tao to run into the bedroom, flying right into the middle of his bed to land face down in the billowing covers, box tucked safely under him – seconds before Tao landed right over him, both of them hooting

 

'Give it to me, you brat!’ Tao breathed right into his ear, his body pressing him suffocatingly into the mattress with its sinewy hardness, his weight burning hot through to Sehun’s skin  
‘No no no no~’ Wiggling under him, Sehun tittered, the box grasped resolutely to his chest  
Clicking his tongue, Tao burrowed his hands along Sehun’s, his fingers pressing into his flesh, pinned tight between the bed and their combined weight..making Sehun tilt his head and snap at Tao, his sharp teeth nipping at Tao’s flesh

 

‘Oww!Oyy what the-’

 

Sehun growled low in his throat, imitating an animal – a dog..or a wolf..albeit a baby one ‘Grr! Gerrof mree Zigtaaoo’ he playfully rumbled the words, biting at Tao  
Laughing, Tao rubbed his cheek against Sehun’s hair, stretching out his neck, to let him get access to more  
Sehun squirmed lower, biting and nipping at his warm, peachy skin..releasing his teeth to lick lightly over his throat, raising a trail of goosebumps...the dewy hot afterscent of his soap threading into the dark…  
Making little growls and grunts - playing at being a pup, he placed his teeth against the artery in Tao’s neck, which jumped crazily in reaction, bounding against his lips, -  _no..not playing..it felt..oddly..compellingly real.._

_Regressed…_   
_Regressive.._   
_To some…instinctual place…_

_The darkness was almost like some…deep..black..inky liquid washing over them..…_

_Animalistic…_

 

Tao’s muscles cording as he tightened his bite, worrying at it  
‘Se..ehun..’ Tao sounded like he was growling himself, his hands digging into the bed on either side…but Sehun just ignored him, caught up..  
Tao had gone completely motionless above him..his body burning at every point their bare skin touched..cheek..face…his wrist grazing Sehun’s arm, their legs tangling together..  
His skin..like warm, thick, melted chocolate, smooth against his tongue..  
Only his breath that blew ragged above Sehun’ head, and his pounding pulse in his mouth broke his stillness at all…jumping even higher everytime he snapped a little harder..

_Entrancing…._

It felt so powerful…  
So… primal..

_l_ _ike_ _.._ _Mating_   
_Right?_

Sehun turned under Tao, to lie facing him, his mouth following the dips of his flesh..the little hollow where his neck melded into his shoulder..  
 _Growling.._  
 _Grunting.._

_Biting_

_Like he was a wolf…_

Nosing aside the collar of his T shirt, to gnaw at the fleshy muscle above his shoulder –  
When –

 

‘Gotcha!’  
Grinning, Tao sat up suddenly, his voice laughing triumphantly

 

‘…eh…uh?’  
Slightly disoriented, Sehun blinked a couple of times – before the faint beams of golden light blossomed over from under the silent drapes, sparkling over Tao, who was now straddling him, smirking at him from the corner of his mouth…shaking the box at him gleefully  
 _Oh_

'Aaahhh…. ‘

‘Let’s see, let’s see’ Still gripping his sides with his strong thighs, so muscular and virile as they flexed against him, holding him completely immobile, Tao peeled off the wrap, fiddling around with the cardboard tab, before popping it open

 

‘…. _candles_ …? That’s….it?

He raised an eyebrow quizzically at Sehun

‘Hey!’ lunging up, Sehun grabbed them from him – or tried to, but Tao pre-empted him, yanking his arm out of reach, and tightening his legs, forcing Sehun down again  
‘…whatever..’ grumbling, Sehun flopped back down onto the bed.‘It’s not  _just_ candles, they’re perfect for blackouts!! They’ll look really pretty when we li-‘  
He broke off to hit Tao over the stomach (which was as far as he could reach, pinioned as he was), to shut up his hoots of laughter and comments of, ‘which chick flick did you just watch’  
‘ _fine fine,_ I gottit, it’s re-a-lly pretty’ still chuckling, Tao slid off him, going into the kitchen to light a candle at the stove  
Sehun turned his head to watch him light the rest from the first one, the flickering amber light lapping against his softly tempered skin as he bent to place them here and there  
Slowly he made his way around the room.. One in each shelf of the bookcase  
One on the floor, on either side of the TV  
Finally reaching the bed, he placed the last one on the bedside table, setting it just so –

When Sehun reached out a hand, to purposefully flick his forefinger against it, knocking it off

‘heyy!’

The candle dropped onto the floor, rolling a few paces to come to a stop against Tao’s feet, only then winking out

‘That  _hurt,_ you donkey!!’ Tao yelled angrily, holding his hand away from his body, where the hot wax had spilled right when Sehun had pushed the candle over  
Frowning at the splotch of liquid, Tao peeled off the white cast that had formed quickly in the cold air, snapping to glare at Sehun –  
Who only stuck his tongue out at him, turning back to flop onto the bed on his back, spread eagled, stretching out his four limbs as far as he could, luxuriously  
Sighing, Tao stooped down, picked up the fallen candle, grumbling about how  _Sehun_ had been the one who wanted it, making his way over to the bookshelf to light it  
Sehun closed his eyes, breathing in the faint smell of the burning candles that laced the frigid air…  
The covers around and under him were so soft…cocooning…  
Tao’s low voice…

 

_Wait…_

 

_Tao was being really quiet…_

Sehun cracked one eye open slowly – then leapt up, just as Tao, who was now bending  over him, leaning over the bed, tilted the candle in his hand, to drip a long thread of hot wax onto his stomach, where his T had pulled up as he lay with his arms stretched up  
The hot liquid  splotched onto his bare skin, stinging as it trickled down either side of his waist, turning solid almost immediately  
‘OWWW!!!! Gettitoff, gettit off, that  _hurts_ stupid Tao!!’  
This time Tao was the one who grinned cheekily at him, ‘Oh shuttup, its already cooled, its not gonna hurt now’  
Rubbing his stomach, Sehun turned glimmering eyes up at him, pouting ‘But it  _did_ ‘  
‘…It  _was_ just payback..’ Even as he sighed the words, Tao climbed onto the bed, to rub Sehun’s stomach gently with his long, powerful fingers, bending over to blow against his skin, while holding the still lit candle away with his right hand  
Sehun let his own hand fall away, grinning secretly at Tao’s bent head as he blew comfortingly against his stomach, murmuring what sounded like apologies

‘What did you say..? I didn’t quite get that…  
Hmph..shouldn’t you be begging my forgiveness right now’ Sehun drawled, leaning backward, supporting himself on his palms, his head lolling back

Tao stopped what he was doing abruptly – straightening up to arch an eyebrow at Sehun, who was now grinning lazily at him

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Oomph!’  
The next second, he’d pushed himself forward – over Sehun, shoving him into the bed and straddling him like before – only this time, his thighs pinned him down much more tightly, gripping even his arms to his side, painfully squeezing

 

 _Tao_ had  _gotten so much stronger since the special tournament training though_

 

It was a totally random thought that spun through Sehun’s mind as it wavered, like a butterfly with a needle piercing it to a board, fluttering for a moment unable to accept the reality in front of it – Tao crushing his Tee upwards, bending over him with candle in hand, the light glinting eerily off of his face making him look for an instance like a total stranger –  
Bringing it closer than before, close enough to his skin for the heat to prick sharply through him before the flame turned upwards..  
And a thin stream of hot wax poured onto his chest, right over his breast bone  
‘Aaarrghhhnfff!!!!!’  
The wax trickled towards his chin, pooling in the hollow between his collar bones as he arched in pain and panic, unable to budge his lower body or his arms, that were still trapped under Tao, who only tensed his grip

_It felt like a needle piercing through his flesh – only not momentary, not a single point, but one that went on a flicker longer.,  as the wax stuck to his skin.._

_Tao.._

_Why????_

Tao bent lower, blowing against it, then peeling off the white flakes as the pain disappeared, the cold air and his own body temperature low enough to snuff it out

Gasping still, more from the shock..and  _fear_ , than the pain which had already totally faded,  Sehun lay back into the covers, unable to even say anything

_Why!?It hurts – Tao you’re being mean!!!_

Tao flicked off the last of the wax lazily, his chin resting on Sehun’s chest..

Then he stuck out his tongue and licked along the path the wax had flown

‘Better?’  
‘Not  _better_ you idiot, why’d you –  
 _NO! no no Tao Sto –_ AaaarrrrrgfhdddgrhmdFUCKTaothatHURTSsssssssss!!!!!!!’  
 Sehun sucked in his breath as Tao, only tilting his head slightly to take in his full, agonized expression, moved the candle back down – slowly, letting his see, letting him  _know_  
Before pouring the freshly collected melted wax onto his nipple  
‘GRAAAAAAAaaaaaaghhsssghrffff…..’  
His voice trailed off in incoherent choking as he writhed in agony, the hot burning pain pooling right down to his toes, slicing right through him in the process  
 _The painwas…._

 

_It  was unimaginable_

 

And just like that, it disappeared, as Tao blew against it, the wax instantly solidifying

 

Blinking away his tears, Sehun craned his neck to look down at himself – he’d sprang up when the fire hit – tried to – but Tao’d easily pushed him deeper into the bed with just a flex of his thighs

He expected his skin to be burnt raw..  
Bleed

But there was nothing

 

Only his nipple, red and swollen, with flecks of wax still clinging to it…

 

Beading impossibly bigger as Tao flicked away the slivers, even the slight graze of his skin magnified a thousand times on his throbbing angry flesh

 

‘Hmm~’ Tao slipped out his tongue, replacing his finger

 

‘GMnmdgffddammituummfg!!’ Sehun arched violently, his pinioned hands scrabbling at Tao’s thighs, biting his lip desperately trying to keep his voice from breaking out, but failing, the pleasure sawing through his blood making his entire chest burn again

 

‘Cool’  
Tao grinned wickedly at him, as, panting, he collapsed back down

‘No, nono o notco oltao – Grggaaaaaaaaaaahhhhaggrrrggggff!!!!!!’

Tao’d turned to his other nipple, dripping the wax over it

‘Gguggg…guuu….’  
Sehun gurgled… his vision had burned white hot, as the pain flashed through, blanking out everything else  
 _Exactly like a sharp needle..a spine…piercing through his flesh..in a single searing shaft -  but then pooling through…the blistering sting that  should have been a solitary flare just stayed…collecting…._

And then disappearing abruptly again, as the wax cooled in the glacid air

And involuntarily..reflexively..his body tensed again – already… _anticipating_ …  
His breathing spiralling out of control even in that frozen space – before

‘AArrgghhhfhghf..’

Tao’s tongue velvetted over his skin, making it feel scorched  again, but this time it was sheer ecstasy blazing into his flesh

Tao kept going, pouring trickles of burning wax over his body..  
Over his chest..  
His stomach..  
Pooling right into his belly button

_It was like his flesh was oversensitive..to even the slightest stimulation…_

 

_Pain…._

 

_Reward…_

 

_He was totally helpless…couldn’t move, couldn’t budge, Tao was so strong…intractable.._

 

Pleasure

 

 

_Agony…_

 

_Tao licking and blowing over his skin_   
_Between the burning_   
_Alternating_   
_??_   
_Was he??_

 

_Sehun screamed and screamed_

_He didn’t know anymore_

 

‘AAAAAArrgggghhhrrfhhgfffffhghf!!!!!!!!!!’

 

_It felt so damn fuckingGOOD he couldn’t…._

 

 

_His skin had been scraped off his entire front only his nerves left, boiling at every little touch_

 

 

‘Ahahahhhhff’

 

_And his heart_   
_It was beating so loud_   
_That’s right_   
_The fire  - it was flowing in his vessels_   
_Pounding_   
_It was in his blood_   
_Tao…_

‘Guugrrhhfff’

 

_He couldn’t keep track_

 

_Tao was trailing the flame against his skin now and then..dry scorching sandpaper burning… curling.. he was singeing off the few light sprinkles of hair.._

 

_Pain_

 

‘AaaAAAAAAHHhhhh!!!!’

 

_Agony_

 

_The fire…the pain..it was pain…_   
_It was from feeling so good…_   
_His heart was pounding_

 

_It stung_

 

_Pleasure_

 

_Reward_

 

_The wax pooled over his flesh, spilling onto his sides as his chest heaved crazily, his body arching convulsively off the bed_

_Pooling…fire…_

 

_Tao was stroking him.._

 

Suddenly, a wave of cold air crashed over him, the sweat washing over every surface of his skin seeming to crystallize in tiny little icicles. Stunned,  Sehun flopped back onto the bed, panting..dazed completely by the sudden lack of heat…  
The white fire burning into his eyelids starting to fade…..

Tao…

Tao….?

 

Blearily he cracked one eye open just in time to see Tao pull his shorts off, then strip off his own clothes…  
‘Ta..ao..’

_Ehh? His voice..He was croaking…his throat felt skinned…_

The cold air hit his swollen dick..tracing icy fingers over his legs, just for a moment, before Tao straddled him again, bending over to cup his face gently with both hands as he kissed him, Sehun reaching to place both palms against his chest.. It felt so  _incredible,_ Tao’s gentle hands moving over his body..his weight over him, his bare skin – hot, but so gentle..sweetly…soothing..

Tao softly petted him, stroking his sides..plying over his hip bones..as he kissed him tenderly… moving down from his lips to his chin.. over his throat in a straight line, then reaching over to the side  
‘Ah’  
Tao chuckled low in his throat ‘I love this one the most’  
‘Ehh..?’  
Tao kissed the side of his neck again  
‘This mole’  
‘Eh!?’  
Tao just chuckled again, moving down to graze his lips against the hollows at the base of his throat…  
  
  
Sehun’s hand though, drifted up to his own neck, his fingers tracing the spot where Tao’s lips had just been  
  
 

_His mole…_

 

 

_Yeah..he did have one there…_

 

 

_Tao’s favourite?_

 

His heart clenched tight, and a lump swelled in his throat…he blinked quickly, fighting to stop the tears, and glanced down at Tao, whose hair was just tickling against the underneath of his chin, as he placed kisses against Sehun’s breast bone…Sehun shoved his hand into the silky black strands, petting him…trying in some way, anyhow, to show him just how much he loved him

Tao immediately scooted back up, to take his lips in his own, and Sehun, somehow feeling  _heartbroken_ , like his chest would just rip from all the love he had for him, thrust both his hands deeper into Tao’s hair, holding him closer..  
Their bodies pressed together, skin to skin, limb to limb..  
The heat that had been smouldering now flaring up again, as Tao kept stroking up and down his sides with gentle..yet somehow  _commanding_ fingers..

Reaching down to slowly trace his index finger over his now softened dick, that quickly started stiffening again in response, as his tongue and lips turned controlling, heated…  
Sehun groaned into Tao’s mouth, his body jerking upwards towards him reflexively

Tao thrust his own hips forward, rubbing his swelling cock with his own  
‘Aaahhha..’ Sehun moaned, his waist feeling meltingly wet, steaming up. Just then, Tao scooted up even further,reaching over him – Sehun vaguely realised he was taking the candle up again  
But…  
Tao was still stroking him….  
 _It felt so good_

 

_Eh?_

 

_He’d tensed up, waiting for the sharp spilling heat to pierce through his skin .._   
_But Tao just went back to kissing him, holding the candle carefully away_

 

_Eehh_

 

_Wait.._

 

_What_

 

He slid his palms over Tao’s sculpted shoulders and back as he kissed him  
 _He was kissing him properly…_  
 _Even though he really was.._

Sehun thrust his body harder against Tao’s grinding their hips together, and Tao responded in kind..  
Enthusiastically..  
His free hand on the side of Sehun’s face tightening

 

_Eeehhh?_

 

_Why.._

 

_Why!??_

 

He cracked his eyes open again, his gaze turning inexorably to the flickering light from the flame 

_Don’t be silly…_   
_That shit hurt like fuck_

_Theres no way_

 

_No way…_

 

A little huff of air floated past the drapes, and the flame danced spasmodically, the blue part rising, then dropping  
Sehun’s heart jumped in response  
 _NO! Don’t go out, it can’t –_

 

Tao broke away, and chuckled wickedly at him  
‘Hunn-ah, something distracting you?’

 

‘No!’ Pouting, Sehun turned back to Tao, tugging him back down – but Tao resisted easily, and brought the candle right in front  
‘Could it be…this?’ His voice was teasing – and thick with arousal, as he shook it carefully above Sehun’s chest, without spilling a single drop  
Sehun let out the deep breath he’d been holding, his seizing muscles relaxing

_Of course not_

 

 

_There was no way…_

 

_Why’d he feel so let down!?_

 

_That shit hurt…_

 

‘Urrmhmm..’

 

_It really hurt, I HATE it, I don’t want.._

‘What did you say, Sehunah, I didn’t get it at all’

 

The memory of the stinging pain flashed through his eyelids  
The white heat, sharp, stabbing..and the way it pooled through..

 

‘ye-erm-es..’

 

 His hips felt wet and liquid just at the thought

 

‘What?’

‘Yes!!’

Tao chuckled again – sounding more like a gasp and a growl, he slid his free hand into Sehun’s and pulled both their hands down, between their legs, pushing his dick into Sehun’s palm, untangling their fingers to circle his own around Sehun’s now fully hard engorged erection

 

‘Yes what?’ He growled, as his dick jumped in Sehun’s hand, and Sehun tightened his fingers, stroking up Tao’s shaft  
‘Tell me properly’

 

‘I..’ he coughed, cleared his throat  
‘I want..you to…the wax..thing’

 

_Damn_

 

_Damnit_

 

_He could feel the trickling wetness on Tao’s precum slipping over his fingers, in response to his words_

 

 

_Hewantedit soo bad Tao_

 

‘Wax thing?’

‘…I..want..you to..’  
 

‘to?’  
 

‘pour it on..me..’  
 

 _Ughh no how could he.._  
 _stop!!  
Stop saying this!! what's wrong with me!! Am i seriously..asking for.._That?!!   
 _saying it…_

_He was so ashamed!!_

 

‘Where?’ Tao sat up, his knees on either side of Sehun, candle held aloft in one hand, the other fisted around Sehun’s dick, rubbing it against the back of Sehun’s hand, that was pumping  _his_  
‘E..evry…where…’ Sehun looked up at him, mesmerized at the heat in his expression, bathed in alternating folds of light and shadow

_I want it Tao pleaseineed.._

‘GAAaarggghhhhrrgggg!!!’

Without warning, Tao tilted the candle over his chest, drenching both his nipples in molten wax. A whole lot of liquid had collected at the top of the candle in the time they’d stopped, and it poured over him, trickling down his chest, his skin, already sensitized, sending shockwaves of burning pain cording through its layers  
‘Guuaarrghhhaaaggggguuuu…’ He panted, his voice dribbling away, the fire  
 _The pain_

_It was searing_   
_It wouldn’t go away it was burning_   
_Sticky_   
_wet_   
_Gettitoff he’d asked himself, he’d wanted it ithurtithurtithurti it felt so good_

 

He crashed back into the bed as the heat started dissipating, his body tensing in anticipation even before it had faded completely -  and Tao didn’t disappoint – pinching and rubbing his burning nipples between his thumb and forefinger, he bent his head, laving them in turn  
‘Uuuggffnnnnffmmmmohgodtaooh god oh god’ It was like the break in between had turned his body crazy this was impossible fuck FUCK it felt so good  
His fingers gouging uselessly into Tao’s thighs as he writhed in pleasure

 

Tao poured another stream down the length of his breast bone..  
On either side of his belly button

 

 _‘_ Grrrraaagggrrr’  
 _He couldn’t even breath, the pain was so severe, pooling through him, God fuck it felt so goodTao kept pumping his free hand over his dick, licking him, rubbing him, over and over he couldn’t even think anymore only_  
‘GrrraauuuuuAahh!’  
 _Burning it hurt oh god Tao_  
 _He throat burnt, matching the heat running through his body the stinging arcing through him he could feel wetness under his nails he was raking them over Tao’s thighs Tao – had he  -_

 

‘GGAARAAAAAAAaaahhhh!!’

 

 

‘Mmffgghah ah..ah..Grruuuuuagggrrh’

 

 

 

 

‘Ah..ah..ah..’

 

 

_Razor sharp flames ripping through his flesh and he was melting from the inside out his hips ached and over the sound of his own ragged breathing he could hear the squelches as Tao pumped up and down his slimy dick,  he could feel his own wetness spilling out_

He couldn’t even think coherently anymore only the sensations bursting through him  _fire fire white hot heat and the red pain drenching over and Tao’s every graze magnified a billion times_

-

 

‘Se..sehun’  
‘Guug’ He croaked out, licking his lips with his completely dry tongue  
‘Scoot up’  
‘ugghhg?’  
‘Up, move up’

Obediently, Sehun scooted upwards over the bed, the cold air hitting him as soon as he slid out from under Tao  
‘Good boy, hold on here’ Tao climbed up beside him, and taking both his hands, placed then over the bed post  
‘He-ghuu here?’  
‘Yeah.’ Tao leaned over to plant a kiss over his lips  
‘Hold on here, and don’t let go, okay? No matter what’  
‘Umm!’ Sehun jerked his head vehemently, agreeing whole heartedly, bubbles of fizzy happiness popping inside his chest  
 _Tao asked him to, Tao wanted him to do something for him_

 

_Wait_

 

_huh?_

 

_Why was he feeling..like this..just…_

 

The questioning thought wafted away, evanescent, as Tao picked up the candle again, and started trailing kisses down his body  
Landing a puddle of wax right below his belly button

 

‘AAAAAaaaaagggggggggggghhaauu!!!

 

 

The wax had trickled down..to his balls..under..oozing over the insides of his thighs 

 

‘Gggfffffffsssssggggrrff!!!’ 

 

He clenched his teeth tight as he gripped the rod under his palms and he bit down harder, the tears streaming down his face

 

‘Haa..ha..ha..ah…’ He panted, as the stabbing needles of pain dulled, looking down at Tao, who was now lying between his legs  
Bending his head..

 

Sehun’s body clenched, his hips jerking upwards excitedly even before Tao even-  
Giggling, Tao pressed his lips to his balls, then sucked, slobbering his tongue over them  
‘Mmfffggghhhhffff!!!’ He was yelling inside his throat, the ecstasy spilling through him, his body thrashing with the stimulation

 

_But he couldn’t let go, he had to hold on, Tao had asked him too_

 

 

Helplessly, he stared without blinking, fixing his eyes on Tao

 

_Please..Tao..i can’t…_   
_I’m..going…to.._

 

Tao turned his fingers to his cock, winding his hand around it and starting to pump it again..holding it upright  
Sehun could see the fluid dripping out of himself.. slippering over Tao’s fingers

_Wait_

 

_………_

_No…_

 

Tao tilted the candle slowly, holding it centimetres from the tip of his dick – before dribbling the hot wax onto it 

 

_Friggin.._

Sehun gaped, utterly petrified with incredulous disbelief, at the creamy white pearl of smeltering wax that was drizzling langurously over the lip of the candle

 

_WAY!!_

 

 

Drip

Simultaneously, Tao shoved his finger into Sehun’s anus, reaching deep – angled perfectly, thrusting it in and out….

 

Drip

 

Drip

 

_NONONONOnoooAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHDGHDHAAHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAdhhhsggodgidnooooodamnitaaaaaaaahhhggguu_

 

_He didn’t know if he screamed or thought of screaming, his whole body seared through..heat – o, it was ice, it was ripping through him, penetrating through his bones ohhgodohgodohgod wwhhagggffrrrrrrrrrrr running along his bones right to his toes, his head burned ohgodohis feet curled abnormally folding onto themselves ITFELTSODAMN GOOD ohhgod, Tao’s finger inside_

 

‘AAAAAAAHHHHDGGGRFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFUUUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKSHIT..’

 

He was hissing, the spit and tears running down his neck,  the pain instead of fading as the wax cooled, just scorching through him as Tao kept dripping fresh drops, till his voice burst out of him uncontrollably, screaming in pleasure, as he came

 

Panting, Sehun crashed back into the bed, feeling like his bones and muscles and everything had turned to liquid, melting out of him, as he jerked again and again, his ejaculations turning dry, his muscles spasming   

 

‘Yeah?’

 

‘…huh?  
Oh!’

 

As Tao raised a teasing eyebrow at him, Sehun blushed quickly and turned away, realising belatedly that he’d been breathing out ‘Tao Tao Tao ‘ over and over again  
‘No..nothing..’  
‘Eehh~’  
Tao giggled, resting his chin on Sehun’s thigh, as he scooped up a finger of his cum….  
Holding his eyes.. as he popped his index finger into his mouth

‘ _Tao!!’_

Sehun half leapt up in protest – then  
‘Ah’  
He was still gripping the bed post tightly, his fingers locked around it..  
He felt, like it was breaking through the waves of his pleasure and suddenly coming to life, the ache in his muscles – his biceps, and arms, and his fingers…  
Experimentally, he tried to unclench them  
‘Gugaahh!’  
 _Damn!! It –_

Then he totally forgot about that, as Tao’s lips closed around his dick

_He was totally exhausted though_

_Totally.._

_Drained.._

_Then.._   
_Why_

He was stiffening already, as Tao pulled his dick up, sliding his tongue under and over, scooping up all the seeped come, slavering..

_Ohhfuckkkk_

 

‘Hun-ah’ Tao gasped, and Sehun looked up into his eyes, blankly, unable to even raise a response, his circuits already overwhelmed  
‘Turn around’

‘Hhuh’

 

Carefully, gingerly, he unclenched his fingers, weakly pulling them away, and turned over, to lie flat on his face, unable to think anything, leaving everything,  _everything_ upto Tao…

 

‘Higher’ Tao chuckled, tapping his butt, and thoughtlessly, Sehun complied, sticking his butt into the air..  
Tao climbed over him, pushing his knees forward, so they were almost touching his chest – he was doubled up, bent over painfully…

 

_This position…_

 

The cold air wafted against his totally exposed, utterly vulnerable body, and Sehun felt a prickle of discomfort – deeper than the physical pain..

_It.._

 

_This was…_

 

‘Your hands’ Tao grunted, positioning himself behind him, and Sehun obediently lifted his hands to grasp hold of the bed post again

 

_Tao_

_It was Tao_

 

_So…_

 

The unease took on a decidedly pleasurably naughty, illicit, and therefore totally erotic flavour, as he felt Tao’s fingers dig into his buttocks, prising them apart – then –

 

‘GYAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRrrrrghhhaAAHTAAAAO!!!!!’

 

Violently, he convulsed, every muscle in his body contracting impossibly tight, spasming, as his legs jerked painfully, the pain driving icicles of heat stabbing through his mind, his forehead screamed in agony

 

_His insides!!_

 

_His insides were ripping_

 

_This wasn’t even pain, it was so terrible, it was_

 

_Ggrrrruuuggggggggggghhhhohgodohgod stop it stop it ohhgod he was on fire, it was burning, his insides were burning_

 

_A red hot poker burning sizzling iron filling into him inside ohhgod inside all through_

 

Unheeding, Tao dripped another stream of hot wax right into his anus, the fingers of his other hand shoved between his butt, keeping his cheeks apart, inexorably, unforgiving, even as Sehun yelled and yelled and yelled, his throat bleeding as he twisted around as far as possible, craning his head to scream incoherently at Tao –  
 

Who just dribbled yet another pool of burning hot wax into his anus

 

‘GUUUUYYYAAAAAGGGGGHUUUUUUUUHaahhh!!’

 

His voice trailed off into gurgles and grunts of pleasure, the breath feeling like it had been wacked out of him  
Crashing like a tidal wave through him – Before Tao brought the candle even closer, pouring more wax in, and the ecstasy turned seamlessly into agony, mixed and stirred up together...globular.. glutimous..oozing and spilling under the inconceivably sharp skewers of fire..unable to differentiate...

 

 

‘GgggGGGGGGGggggurrggg’

 

He couldn’t even scream anymore, his voice only coming out like an animal’s, guttural and harsh, the bed creaking with the force of his hands gripping it, as he writhed, somehow, in his pain, managing to break free even of Tao’s strong hold – but it was too late, even before the wax began to cool, Tao pushed his dick in,  reaching over with his free hand to fist around Sehun’s dick

 

_Searing burning, Tao shoved in and out of him, pumping his cock in tandem, spilling the burning wax into the hollow of his back, it flew as Sehun thrashed, splotching all over his bare back, trickling down his spine_   
_No, up, up his spine, to his neck, and ohhgod it burnt  
laying fiery incisions into his flesh_   
_Tao kept dripping it over him, and each time, his body jerked, yanking up, against Tao, pushing him in even deeper_   
_Goosebumps there were goosebumps walking over his back, but it burnt too, trickling flames_   
_His whole body was on fire, his chest tightening, his vision void, itfeltsoogood Tao ohgodddit hurtssoogood, he couldn’t tell anymore if it was pain or pleasure, everything was the same, his skin was sloughing off, he knew it, he could feel it, Tao peel more off, please ohh god don’t stop, please there right there ohhgod more Tao I’m….._

 

 

 

 

‘…ehun….’  
‘se..un….’  
Sehun slowly crinkled his eyes open, and groaned at the sunlight shimmering through the room  
 _What_..  
His whole body ached…  
 _What happened…_

‘Sehun!’ Tao’s voice came into focus, and the feel of his hand ruffling his hair, before he moved away from the bed  
‘Get up, we’re going to be late’ he called back to him  
Sehun blinked, and rubbed his eyes  
 _Hmm?_  
Gingerly, he reached out to pick up the white flake that was on his pillow, right in front of his face  
.. _huh…? this was…_

‘AH!’ The next second, he jumped up, the events of the night before flooding into his mind – crystallizing as he took in the powdery wax casts flecking all over the bed

‘……And I agreed, so we need to go quickly..’ Tao stuck his head out of the kitchen to wave a spoon at him  
‘Sehun! Are you  _still_ asleep, Get out of bed, c’mon, I made breakfast, we skipped dinner yesterday, ne, you have to eat properly – ‘

Sehun gaped at him for a moment, taking in his wet, messy hair..the half buttoned shirt, and the warm honey skin, and those eyes that smouldered breathtakingly even when he was laughing at him, as he was now….

Blushing fiery, he grabbed the covers, pulling them over his head, and flopped back into the bed, turning his back to Tao

‘I’m not going’

‘Huh!? Sehun-ah!’ Sighing, reaching for exasperation, but only sounding amused, Tao stalked back into the room, perching on the bed beside him, leaning to place an arm on either side of him  
‘Oh~Sehun~~’  
Sehun yanked the covers off his head to stick his tongue out at Tao  
‘Stupid Tao, I  _said_  I’m not going!’

‘Seeehuun~~ you can’t just skip school..c’mon, ne, I made Go-ko..kongna..mul..bap and stewed fish, and I got some Moo…sang..no, saeng..saeng….err…’  
Sehun stared at him, his eyes widening  
‘Huhhh?? How did you??’  
‘Saengchae! That’s it, Moo saengchae!! Aahh..your food has such difficult names, naaa~  
‘Tao!’ Sehun pushed his palm into Tao’s chest ‘ _How_ did you…’  
‘Oh~~ I looked it up..’ Tao grinned proudly ‘n I got up really early and everything, ne, so c’mon, getup, and have a bath, and then you can eat, kay?’  
‘Ummm…then..’ Sehun pouted, fiddling with the buttons on Tao’s shirt, keeping his eyes fixed on them  ‘fine, but I’m not having a bath’  
Tao laughed, and reached two fingers to pluck a white flake from Sehun’s eyebrow, showing it to him ‘Are you  _sure_ about that~~’  
‘Aargh!’ Sehun yanked up the bed clothes again, covering his head, and knocking Tao over the face in the process  
‘Oww…  
Sehun!! C’mon, we’ll be late, ne, c’mon, Hunnie-ah~~’ Tao ferreted under the covers for him, rubbing his face against his, coaxingly  
Sehun slowly pulled the covers down again, his face looming crimson  
‘I’m not  _going!!_  I cant even stand up, my whole body is aching, its….’ Abruptly he cut himself off, his blush deepening ‘Anyway it’s your fault, idiot Tao, its all because of you…...How the hell are  _you_ so damn energetic!??’  
‘Haaa? Maybe coz  _I’m_ not the one who came..what..5, 6 times?? I’ve never even _heard_  of a guy doing tha – ‘  
Sehun wacked him over the face with a pillow, but Tao just laughed, while Sehun went right on grumbling, finally stopping only when Tao shut him up by slipping his tongue into his mouth

Slowly, Tao broke away, but didn’t move – instead, pressing his forehead to his, their noses touching  
‘Fine..i gettit.. rest properly, okay?’  
‘Umm!’ Happily, Sehun flung his arms up to wrap them around his neck.‘Taotao too, do your practice properly, and come home quickly, kay’  
‘Umm!’ Tao grinned at him, then pecked his lips again – moving to straighten up – but Sehun stopped him  
‘Here’  
‘Huh?’  
Avoiding eye contact, the coral tingeing his cheeks again, Sehun tapped his neck with one finger  
‘Kiss me here too’  
‘Ehh?’  
‘Like last night! You said – ‘  
‘Ah!’ Tao chuckled, then swooped in, to land a kiss right over his mole  
‘I..its..Tao’s favourite?’  
‘Umm! Well…actually, there are many parts of your body I like ne..’ His forehead wrinkled in thought  
‘Eh!? Like what?’ Eagerly, Sehun turned to him – but Tao only laughed wickedly, straightening up, and climbing off the bed, only turning to wink at him as he moved to the kitchen – before –  
‘Oomph!!’ A pillow flew across the room, hitting him squarely in the back  
Accompanied by Sehun’s petulant ‘Stupid Tao!!’  
‘Eehh~~’ chortling, Tao bent down to pick the pillow up, and chucked it back over to the bed, careful to avoid hitting Sehun  
‘If you have that much energy, there’s really no reason to miss school, right..’  
‘Ah! Crap!’ Quickly Sehun collapsed back into the bed, pulling the covers up ‘No, no, I’m really sick, and weak, I cant walk, my – ‘  
Tao burst into hoots of laughter, cutting him off ‘Fine..fine..’ he wheezed going into the kitchen – before coming back out just minutes later -  
‘Sehun-ah!’  
‘Hmm?’  
‘At least eat some breakfast?’  
‘Mmmm...gimme’  
‘Huh?’  
‘Bring it here!’ Sehun called out, bossy domineering tone in full force  
Tao snorted with laughter, but turned back all the same, to serve up the food on a tray, and bring it over to the bed, setting it down carefully on the bedside table, and placing the chopsticks on it with a clickTurning, he ruffled Sehun’s hair again  
‘Eat it all, k’  
‘Umm!’  
‘I mean, now’  
Sehun grinned cheekily up at him ‘Wushu captains make such good housewives, ne~~’ he drawled, before hastily digging into the covers again, giggling uncontrollably as Tao spluttered and roared and mock hit him  
‘Wtf,  _you’re_  the one volunteering as my personal cheerleader!’  
‘AH! I forgot!!’ Sehun went completely still ‘Tao! The stuff for the tournament – I have a bunch of stuff to do today!!’ he flapped his hand against Tao’s stomach repeatedly, emphasising his point  
‘And the Winter Fes stuff too!!’  
Tao broke away, to smile down at him superiorly.‘See? Toldcha you can’t just skip school! C’mon, get up!’  
Sehun paused for a long moment – then burrowed comfortably into the bed again  
‘I’ll just have someone bring it all over later, I can just as easily do everything from here’  
‘Eeh~’ Tao grinned, looking unbearably proud of himself, glancing around the room exaggeratedly ‘You have some work to do cleaning up, then~’ jerking out of the way of Sehun’s fist  
Laughing, he stood up, smoothening down his blazer and tightening his tie  
‘Then…I’m leaving, k’  
‘Umm! Good luck~~’  
‘Lunch is on the counter, heat it up, and eat’  
‘Yeah yeah’  
‘then……bye then’  
‘byeee~~’  
Sehun turned into the pillow, stretching luxuriously, and nestling his face into the pillow to hide his grin as the footsteps heading out to the hallway stopped –  
And turned..  
And made their way back  
Bursting into giggles as Tao wrapped both arms around him, drawing him close and snuffling at his ear, before reaching to kiss him thoroughly  
‘I wanna stay in bed with you too!’ Tao whined against his lips  
Sehun chuckled, lightly pressing his fingers into his chest, kissing him  
‘Get going, my Spineless Wushu Captain’  
Tao groaned, forcing himself to ignore the bait, kissing him back instead  
‘I’m leaving then’  
‘Umm. Come home safely’  
‘Umm’  
With one last kiss, Tao finally left, pulling the door shut behind himself, and silence descended over the house

 

Sighing happily, Sehun snuggled back down – the bed was still toasty and warm – Ah! The electricity must’ve come back sometime at night…  - stuffing his face into Tao’s side of the pillows, and breathing in deeply


	18. Chapter Seventeen

‘Lu Han! Over here!’  
‘Ah!’  
Lu Han wound his way past the crowded tables, flopping down into the chair opposite Sehun  
‘Here’ Hefting the three overflowing carrier bags stuffed chockfull of papers, he dropped them in front of him, sighing and cracking his fingers  
‘….Whaa!’ Sehun turned wide eyes at him ‘What the hell is all this!???’  
‘One hot chocolate, please’ Lu Han nodded to the pretty waitress, who had followed him to his seat,  then turned back to Sehun  
‘The stuff for the winter Fes?? You were the one who called and asked me to bring it over here! Ah, and that Beansprout said they’d bring the tournament stuff over here during their homeroom in an hour’s time….’ Leaning his hands on the table, he looked over Sehun carefully  
‘Ne..you okay?? You look beat..’  
‘Eh…hmm..yeah..’ Vaguely, Sehun waved at him, his head almost stuffed into the biggest bag as he started pulling out sheaves of documents  
‘Advertising committee request….  high tea for the teachers…. Proposal for -  Whoa..this is crazy..!! I was just……I…. _Luuuuu!_!’ He whined, turning puppy dog eyes up to him  
‘Don’t look at me like that, I just went and asked that ‘Mai girl’ for ‘the winter fes committee stuff that needs to be looked over’  _just like you said_  – ‘ Lu Han broke away, as the waitress set down the big tea cup of hot chocolate in front of him, along with a plate of hot fresh baked rolls, smiling blushingly at the cute 16yr old, while Sehun grumbled in the background about how unsympathetic he was  
‘Waa, so fast! Thank you.. eehh, this looks so yummy!’  
Bowing multiple times, she backed away, blushing even harder, as Lu Han, unaware of the effect he was having, dug in ravenously  
‘She was totally shocked though’  
‘Hmm?’ Sehun slurped his own bubble tea, raising an eyebrow at Lu Han, who set his cup down, wiping the corner of his lips with the back of his thumb, then rubbing it on his trousers  
‘Mai, ya know, she looked at me like I was crazy…then I said, ‘Sehun asked’, and then she looked at me like I was  _really_ crazy..’ He picked up the cup again, holding it almost  _daintily_ between his fingers, and took a long sip  
‘But she didn’t say anything, she just went and got these and gave ‘em to me..’ He took a bite out of a roll, drawing his breath, and exclaiming about how good it tasted – ‘So here I am, sneaking out of school to deliver them to you, as requested, Your Majesty’

 

‘….’

Waiting in vain for a laugh, he frowned at Sehun,  who was ignoring him totally, having gone back to busily pouring over the papers, muttering under his breath  
‘Pin-up posters sample set 1…’ Sehun snapped the rubber band tying a bundle of rolled up posters together, then stuffed them back into the bag, only to reach in and pull out the next -  ‘…selection of members for Fes Website.. what the hell, whoever wants to do it should just do it, right, what’s with making such a big deal out of it…  
Ah!’ He glanced up to meet Lu Han’s glare  
‘Ah! I mean, Thank you oh great Lu  Han, without you, my moste sacred person would have been unable to meet this auguste task~~  
lol, hehehe but seriously,  _thank you,_ see, lunch’s on me, ne~’

‘Ehh~’ Disbelievingly, Lu Han popped the rest of the roll into his mouth, reaching to lavishly smother the next one with butter

‘But, Sehun,  _why_ in the world are you doing this?? You have like,  _nothing_ to do with the Fes Committee, right??? I didn’t even know you knew Mai that well, I’ve like, never seen you guys talking or anything… But she wasn’t…she didn’t even ask me anything, she just gave ‘em to me like…’

‘Mmm..’ Uncomfortably, Sehun shifted in his seat, blushing slightly ‘Ah..err..ya know…stuff..came up and..Ah! Why don’t you try the blueberry cheesecake here, it’s really good, look, I’ll order it for you!’ Enthusiastically, Sehun bobbed his arm up and down, calling over the waitress, ordering two slices of blueberry, and leaning in to whisper to her to ‘make ‘em big ones’ making her turn crimson, and nod, and scamper off as fast as she could

‘I’m surprised you came alone, actually’ he commented, leaning back in his chair gingerly

‘You kiddin me?’ Lu  Han snorted into his chocolate ‘Everyone’s already going crazy, ‘ _where’s Sehun, whatever happened to Se-xiong I’m so worried’,_ blah blah blah..if they knew I was coming to see you, I’d have the whole school following me, and then I’d  _definitely_ get caught for being out of bounds…  
Anyway, you do look pretty dead actually..’  
Lu  Han’s eyes raked over him, taking in the oversized hoodie (Tao’s old one Sehun had claimed long ago) and washed out face.  
‘You don’t  _have_ to push yourself for no reason, ya know..’ He sighed ‘you’ve been going totally crazy over the Wushu thing too – ‘ Suddenly catching himself, Lu  Han snapped his mouth shut, blushing, and nervously glanced over at Sehun –

 

then sighed again, this time with relief –

 

_he hadn’t.._

 

_Well..of course, Sehun didn’t know that Lu  Han knew…_

 

‘Well..anyway..’ Lu  Han hastily spoke up, trying to fill the silence before Sehun noticed anything was amiss. ‘The Fes Committee has enough people already, and  _Zitao’s_ the one who should be –‘

 

 AH!

_SHIT_

 

He quickly cleared his throat, steeling himself – if he stopped now he’d  _totally_ sound suspicious right,  _crap, he was tryina avoid that one thing, and here he’d thoroughly gone and put his foot in it_

 

‘I mean..the one checking it should be Zitao..right..’ Awkwardly, he cleared his throat again, looking everywhere but at Sehun

 

‘Urrmm..well…i..thought I’d help out…just, randomly, you know, for no particular reason at all or anything…

C’mon, you know me, always super thoughtful and kind, and selfless – ha! It’s a wonder I haven’t been given a Nobel by now..’

 

‘Eeehh~~’ Lu  Han couldn’t help the teasing note in his voice – he knew he mustn’t – it would’ve been easy to just accept Sehun’s nonsense, and change the subject…but..even so much more than his own unease…

 

_Damn, Sehun looked so uncomfortable, desperately trying to joke…  this was too good to resist!!!!!!!!!_

 

‘But..Sehun, you aren’t that close to Zitao or anything, right? Why should  _you_ of all people go out of your way to help him…to this extent, I mean, it’s just..absurd!’

 

‘Errmm………….well….

ya know…

…….’

 

‘Did he ask you?? But why would he ask  _you_ … ‘

‘No, no, no, he didn’t ask me, of course he wouldn’t!’ Sehun snorted ‘Like he’d actually ask…. no,  _I_ said I’d do it’

‘You volunteered??!!’ Lu  Han managed to fight down his giggles, keeping his voice incredulous.

 

‘…..I..yeah, yeah, I mean, it’s no big deal…or..right?’

‘But  _why_!? And why would he let you? You know Zitao never takes favours from anyone - ’  He broke off as the waitress returned, once again in record time, placing a saucer of cheesecake in front of them both, before bowing and vanishing  
‘That’s one of the things you can’t help admiring about him you know’ Picking up the little silver fork, Lu  Han kept piling on his story

 

‘..you ‘admire’ about him??’

 

Pricking his ears mentally at the slight bite in Sehun’s voice, Lu  Han apparently nonchalant, slid a forkful of cake into his mouth, eating it slowly and relishing the moment

 

‘Yes of course.’ He finally continued, while Sehun glared at him from across the small table.  
‘He’s always so independent, and self reliant, one can’t help…a _dmiring_ a guy like that, can one..’ he drawled the words archly. ‘I mean, is it any wonder he’s so popular….. Not to mention how handsome he is – Oyy!!!’

Sehun had reached across the little round table, scooped up the entire slice of Lu  Han’s cake, and shoved it into his mouth in one

‘Idiots like you don’t need cake!!’ He grunted through his stuffed cheeks

 

‘Eeehh! What did I do??? Did I say something wro~o~ong?’

 

 

‘………..  
….  
  
you’re  an idiot, that’s all!!!’

 

 

‘eehh…could it be….Sehun!!  _You…._ Zitao…!???’

 

‘What!?!!’ Sehun jumped up off his chair – then winced painfully, and sat back down, lowering himself cautiously. ‘No,no no nononono, NOTHING, theres nothing like that, Tao-I mean, Zitao is just..nothing, absolutely – ‘

 

‘Whoa! Sehun…it totally seems like…you…really…’

 

‘Nonono nono no no no, no way, I don’t!!! theres nothing like that, ha! How could there be – ‘

 

‘Hate him..??!!!’

 

‘……………

what?’

 

‘You really hate him, don’t you?? It’s so obvious now… of course!  you always make a weird face whenever anyone mentions him..  
And even right now, you got pissed coz I was praising him, right?? Waitaminute, are you planning to sabotage the Fes or something, is that what this is about??’ he waved grandly at the bags, clumps of errant papers sticking out. ‘Ah! That’s why you always speak so disparagingly of Mai –  _she’s_ going out with Zitao, isn’t she!’

 

‘ _Shuttup_!’  
Sehun sprang up, unheeding of the sharp ache stabbing through him at the movement, Lu  Han’s last comment was the  _last_  straw. ‘ _She is so_ not going out with him!! _’_

 

‘Ehh~~’ Lu  Han grinned at him, resting his chin on one hand. ‘How can you be so sure?? I’m telling you man, she’s always been running behind him – ‘

‘So???!! It doesn’t mean he likes her!! Ha!! Theres no way Tao would fall for a friggin pain like her!!!’

‘Whoa…Sehun, she’s like, the cutest chick in class, dude!! Not to mention, Tao’s  _really_  sweet on her…’

‘ _You take that back!!’_

‘Huh??!!! What’re you getting your panties in a twist for, you don’t like her, do you? Plus, ‘ He languorously took another sip of his chocolate, while Sehun spluttered opposite him, resembling nothing more than a boiling kettle. ‘Zitao’s totals doing her, everyone knows, c’mon man, isn’t it obvious?? She’s like, pretty much the only person he hangs out with even!’

‘Gu-but- ughh, just because – that’s just— _he’s_ not the one talking to her, that freak keeps hanging around him, for no reason, like,  _all_ the time, it’s soo annoying, he’s just too polite to tell her off– and just…anyway,  _Isn’t that proof that he’s not_ , he wouldn’t even  _talk_ to the person he was  _actually_ dating in public, coz then people would know, and that would be bad, coz….. well, it would just be bad, okay!!! He doesn’t even like her, anyway, plus, it’s not like –‘

Lu  Han couldn’t help it then – he  _did_ burst out laughing, clutching his sides, and hooting, falling over the table, and making everyone around them turn to shower him with a whole gamut of expressions, from vague curiosity to outright annoyance – all of which he ignored, only stoppering his giggles when he was totally out of breath – which luckily, happened a couple of seconds before Sehun had worked up to chucking his remaining bubble tea over his head

‘ _What.Is.So.DAMN FUNNY!??’_

 

‘Nothing, nothing~~ I was just thinking…you’re probably right…’

 

‘……..Yeah!! Aren’t  i??!!! Zitao’d  _never_ go out with that…’ Mollified, Sehun set down his cup, the tea sloshing around precariously, but not spilling over

 

‘Umm!’ Lu  Han nodded, turning his attention to the last remaining roll. ‘Zitao can totally do so much better… I mean, even  _I,_ being a guy, can see how cute he is…’

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Stupid. Idiot. Lu Han.’ With each word, Sehun punched in a handful of scrap paper cuttings into the black garbage bag, ending with a loud crinkly woosh

‘What the hell does he mean, Tao’s all cute and stuff!??? First of all, he’s not ‘cute’ the way Lu Han says, he’s just  _Tao_ , just… just  _Tao_ …and what about Xiumin, huh?? Friggin idiot, he doesn’t even know my Tao  _at all,_ what the  _fuck_  does he mean ‘ _cute’_ Xiumin’s all the ‘ _cute_ ’  _he_  needs, stupid donkey, making eyes at  _my_  – he has no idea even, he’s never even seen Taotao being ‘ _cute’_ what the hell ….

 Aargh!!’  he sat back on his haunches, cutting off his garbled muttering, that had been steaming through him all day, with a scowl.

 

Twisting the mouth of the bag viciously closed, he stood up – grunting like an old man, then grinning to himself at the thought of how Tao always teased him when he did that, saying he was such an ‘ahjussi’ – honestly, Tao’s attempts at Korean were just  _so_ friggin adorable –  _that_ was what was cute,  _that_ was his cuteness – Ha! Stupid Lu  Han hadn’t a clue! That’s right –Sehun brushed back his hair with a patrician flick - kekeke,   _he_ was the only one who knew -  no matter how much the idiots hoped and wanted, they’d  _never_ get even the slightest remotest tiniest chance to see  _exactly_ just how cute Tao was, so…so..  _so  stupid Lu  Han can just suck it_!!

 

Beaming, his sense of superiority and pride back firmly in place, he went to the kitchen, dumping the bag in the corner beside the fridge – Tao’d take it out when he came home – after grumbling at him, while Sehun pouted, sulking till Tao felt guilty and.. … Sehun giggled out loud,  skipping back to his bedroom, gathering up his paints and glitter and markers, and depositing them safely in the box on his bookshelf, he turned to the first of the bags that Lu  Han had brought. ‘Alright!’ Rubbing his hands, he pulled out a bundle – it was a map of the town, with red circles dotting the spots the posters and ads for the Fes were to go.

 

 

‘………

 

…….

 

 

Wow..’ He whistled under his breath, his bouncy eagerness fading. This was…

Didn’t people just usually grab a bag of flyers, and go around stapling them wherever…??

this was..

 

Like a friggin army operation!!

 

Feeling suddenly..strangely nervous, he glanced over at the remaining bags.

This was all going to…go..in..Tao’s name..right….  
Like, anything he did - everyone was going to chalk it up as Tao’s work…  
He  _could not_ mess up!!  
But…  
Just a bit….

_I’m in over my head, aren’t I…_

 

The clock above the still unmade bed ticked on – it was past 7:00pm… Tao’s be home soon, honestly, where had the day gone…

And he’d only finished up the stuff for the tournament, he still had all the Fes stuff left…

 

He’d promised Tao he’d do it, there was  _no_ way he could even consider giving up..or anything – not that he was going to, he totally wasn’t.. _scared_ of failing at it or anything – after all, he was  _Oh Sehun,_  right, there was no way….

 

He moved his finger along the roads marked yellow on the map…. The circles lay about like scattered bits of Jello,  around notations printed in neat black marker…The university library..the geriatric home…the park dedicated to a political leader…

But Sehun’s mind saw only that look on Tao’s face – that look when he’d told him to leave it upto him  
Like… happy and overwhelmed, and grateful, and….

Relieved.

 

 _Relieved_ , like…like nothing could be more perfect –  _no one_ could be more perfect for this than him… His eyes widening like they were saying – oh! If _Sehun’s_ doing it, it’s going to be perfect!!

Like it was something he’d never even dared to hope….

 _‘Right!’_ Sehun slammed his palm flat onto the paper. He could do this. If Tao believed in him this much –  _he could do it!!_

 

‘Let’s see…’  The candy red marked all sorts of ‘important’ places – the famous statues, the parks around historical monuments…’heritage’ sites…  
Well, of course they’d want the posters lining the bulletin boards at every one of Qingdao’s famous spots, right  
But..

 this felt….. _wrong_

 

Okay, let’s think about this for a second.

 

The posters are to attract people to the Fes, right? And these spots – well, definitely, theyr the ‘famous’ places..but who the hell really goes anywhere here, other than tourists??

 

With the sizzling excitement of his inspiration running through him, Sehun reached over to grab his markers off the shelf, and started etching in circles with a flourish – the high end malls, where most of the parents and older people would go..the hipper malls with never ending streams of high schoolers, the plaza, the movie halls, the street with the most trendy shops and boutiques –  
‘Ah!’ He squiggled a loop around the symbol for the popular fast food chain… definitely here! And the Starbucks….  
Everywhere people went – people who would see the posters, and think ‘High School performance? this looks like fun, let’s check it out!’ That’s what was needed right??  
And despite not being a native – he was pretty sure he knew where all the actual  _popular_ spots were!! Thinking back to everywhere he’d gone to hang out with Lu  Han and the rest – plus everywhere Tao had taken him….

Humming, he stroked out his marker over the amusement park and the wharf, skidding it round the printed sign for Pichaiyuan, and crossing out the circles around Heilongjiang and SheungNing streets (like we’d actually be allowed to put up posters there!!)

 

 

 

 

By 8.30 pm, when the click of the key in the front door sounded, Sehun was sprawled out on his tummy in front of the telly – he’d made his way through the sample posters, picking out 3 he thought looked best – the most eye catching ones, with the coolest designs…. he’d drafted a notice for the school bulletin board, inviting ‘anyone who wanted’ to come apply for the Fes Website committee – he personally knew a bunch of insanely comp savvy kids, who were not in the official computer club, from which the names had been culled for the existing list of applicants – and Wei and that chick from Eiri’s class would do a waay better job than these nerds! – and somewhere between stuffing all the papers relating to the Teachers’ High Tea into a big yellow folder and scrawling ‘MAI’ over it in giant letters, and firmly blocking out ‘REJECTED’ in bright red ink over the historical drama they had been planning to perform (and underlining it three times, just to be clear), his eyes had fallen on the small stack of DVDs beside the TV – the ones Tao’s gotten, recording last year’s tournament, and samples of the Wushu exhibitions the competing schools had participated in….

 

_Of course he couldn’t resist, could he?_

 

_After all…he’d never seen Tao actually perform before….not properly, in front of an audience…._

 

 

‘Oho~~’ Hitting the ‘Pause’, he twisted around, waiting for Tao to appear in the doorway – god dammit, it felt so perfectly amazing, Tao opening the door to his house with his own key (Sehun could easily remember how, on the first night, on his way back from Tao’s house, he’d stood in the snow…stamping his feet in the cold outside the hardware store, playing with the tassels on the bag he’d packed with barely anything, while the dark skinned man with the giant moustache worked his magic in the inner recesses of his bustling shop….sticking the freshly made, still warm copy deep into his pocket, and hurrying home…  
 Coming out of the bath, towel around his head, and seeing Tao standing there beside the bed, and finally being able to work up to it, work up to picking up the little piece of metal that had been glinting at him all evening, wondering nervously if he was over stepping some boundary line, some marker that he ought to have known better… wordlessly pressing it into Tao’s hand, and turning away, embarrassed, and decidedly anxious… grunting barely coherently in reply to Tao’s puzzled queries….  
The way Tao’s hands had grabbed his shoulders from behind, forcefully spinning him around, the look in his eyes, that indescribably exquisite expression….  the deep red laving his cheeks, as he stammered ‘Hunnie..really?’…..)

 

As the butterflies twirled about to some internal jingle in the pit of his stomach, he stared at the doorway, his tongue automatically sliding out to lick his lips, that were already pulling wide…

 

But… for a long moment, nothing happened – just the utter silence blanketing the little house, the ticking of the clock ominously loud and echoing in the still, where even the light silky drapes screening the windows lay hushed and motionless….

 

And then, just as Sehun opened his mouth, to call out to Tao, there was a thumping crash,  violent enough to shake the Coke he’d poured out in a glass beside him  
‘ _Tao!!!’_ Panicking, Sehun leapt to his feet, not caring about the glass that went flying, sloshing its contents all over the stray papers littering the floor, stepping all over them, unheeding, his heart pounding in his mouth, as he hurtled through, to the hallway, where –  
‘ _Tao!!!!!!!!!’_  
Kneeling beside the prone navy clad huddle, Sehun yelled his name, shoving him over, grabbing him and shaking him – and finally punching him over the shoulder as hard as he could, when Tao blearily cracked his eyes open, focusing on him, with a casual ‘Oh….there you are, Hunnie…what’s up..’

‘You scared the living shit out of me, Zitao! What the  _fuck_ are you doing??!!’

Mumbling under his breath, Tao groggily reached over to lay his head on Sehun’s knee, curling up, and patting his thigh sleepily, drifting off right there on the cold floor….

 

‘ _Huang Zitao!!!’_

 

‘Ghuhhuhhhh.’ At the tone in Sehun’s voice, Tao’s eyes flickered open again, and grunting, he raised his head  - smiling hazily at the worry in his Hunnie’s features.  
‘I’m just seriously tired, babe, we were at practice till now..’ lowering his cheek onto Sehun’s knee again, his voice drained away, percolating down octaves, as he sleepily rubbed his face against him, his heavy lids shuttering again

In spite of his still burgeoning annoyance at the idiot for scaring him like that, Sehun chuckled, his hand rising to gently pat his head  
‘Gettup though, you can’t sleep on the floor, not here,  Taozi, you’ll catch a cold’  
‘Mmrrm’  
Grinning, Sehun leaned forward, burying his nose in Tao’s hair, and snuffled energetically ‘Gerrdup gredup gredup!’  
‘Mrrmmm’  
Smirking sleepily, Tao twisted around, latching his lips onto Sehun’s, and bringing both arms up, around his neck, playfully exchanging kisses

Giggling, Sehun finally broke away, and slid his hands under Tao’s shoulder, trying to drag him to his feet – and finally succeeding on the third attempt, when Tao, though laughing fit to burst, took pity on his clumsy attempts, and slouched upwards.

Yawning loudly, Tao stumbled tiredly into the bedroom, stopping short at the sight that met his eyes –  the slush of paper and coke and diamonds of broken glass glittering like so many fairy lights on the polished wooden floor  
‘Aah!!’ Sehun shot past him, slipping and sliding his way over to the epicentre of the mess – or trying to, before Tao firmly caught the back of his shirt, yanking him back  
‘ _Sehun!!! There’s glass!!!’_  
 _‘Tao!!! There’s papers!!!’_ Sehun yelled right in his face, with the same amount of indignation, making Tao sigh in exasperation, and, picking him up, toss him bodily over his shoulder, Sehun’s bare feet wiggling in the air, as he resignedly  flopped over Tao, blowing a puff of hot air into his ear,  as he carefully picked his way through the shrapnel,  gingerly setting Sehun down in a clear patch.

 

‘This….mm – this..okay..Tao, get me that – ‘ Busily examining the dripping pages, Sehun pointed a domineering finger towards the one that had floated away towards the middle of the room,  still keeping  one arm wrapped around Tao’s neck

‘Here.’

 

‘Mmm…okay!!’ He turned to beam at Tao. ‘This is fine, I don’t need any of this! It’s just the waste paper, lucky!!’

‘Eeeh~’ Grinning, Tao flopped down, pulling Sehun into his lap. ‘You’ve been busy’ He nuzzled against his warm, clean, dewy skin

‘Mm?’

‘All this~’ He waved one hand at the bags and folders and neatly divided bundles of paper against the footboard of the bed.

‘Aah, yeah!! Totally!!’ Sehun snuggled deeper into his arms ‘I did  _so_ much work, I’m really good, right, I finished everything for the tournament, and I did a  _bunch_ of the Fes stuff too – ‘

Tao sighed exaggeratedly. ‘Well…so I guess it’ll take me from 4 to 5 hrs to fix your ‘work’, right... – Owww!!’

Grinning, he rubbed his sternum, where Sehun had punched him, before flouncing up, and stalking off

‘Oyy!! Hey! Hunnie come back, I was just kiddin!!’

Sehun turned back, sticking his tongue out at him from the bathroom doorway, before  disappearing inside

Groaning, his muscles feeling heavy and burning with exhaustion, fatigue pooling through every inch of him like his tissues and bones were turning to slurry - but grinning widely all the same, Tao clambered to his feet, and followed him, calling out as he went - ‘Se~~hu~~na~~’ – only to find Sehun kneeling beside the tub,  frowning in concentration as he dipped one finger into the running bath, fiddling with the taps like he was conducting some complex surgery

‘Huunie!! Oyy~~ helloo~~~’

But Sehun ignored him totally, focused on the task at hand – till, sure he’d gotten the temperature prefect, and that he’d added in the perfect amounts of the perfect bath salts – and then foamed the perfect bubble bath in perfectly measured capfuls perfectly –  he turned to Tao, grinning proudly – ‘Take it off!’

 

‘….what?’

 

‘Your clothes!!’ springing to his feet, his eyes twinkling impishly to match his wicked grin, Sehun  grabbed at Tao’s blazer, that he still hadn’t taken off, his naughty hands already reaching for his shirt,  moving quickly to  poke in between his buttons. ‘Stri-i-p, stri-i-ip’ he chanted, tugging (hindering more than helping) at Tao’s clothes – till Tao grabbed his soft, slender fingers in his larger ones, roughened now more than ever after all the weeks of ‘ _fighting with the tree_ ’ as Sehun put it, unbelievably strong and radiating a piercing heat, as they tightly held Sehun’s hands in an unshakable, yet supple grip –

The laughter that had been in both their throats died away, the teasing words blossoming on Tao’s lips faded at the sudden silence, broken only by the drip drip drip of the water

 

‘Errmm…the bath’s..for you..’ Sehun growled to Tao’s second button, resolutely avoiding looking up into his face. ‘You look soo totally tired, it will make you feel better, yeah.. Just get in, c’mon, I’ll wash your back and everything, k, you don’t have to do a  _thing~~_ ‘  
‘Umm..’ Tao grunted in reply, keeping his eyes trained on the metalwork around the tap, gleaming knife-blade steel under the overhead lights even through the billows of steam starting to fill the small room ‘Thanks, you’re right, a hot bath would totally hit the spot!’  
‘Right!?’ Pride overcoming his shyness , Sehun looked up, beaming at him. ‘I can see how exhausted you are, my Taotao, so just get in and relax, k!’  
Grinning in reply, Tao planted a kiss right on his nose, and broke away, turning to the tub, wriggling off his blazer, and carelessly throwing it behind him, his long fingers moving to the buttons of his shirt – and stopping….  
His ears turning red, he growled over his shoulder at Sehun who was staring, mesmerized, at his every movement ‘Don’t  _look_ at me!!’  
‘Eh?.......Ah! Yeah!’ Suddenly snapping out of it, Sehun blushed fiery, hurriedly bending to pick up Tao’s discarded blazer and bundling it round and round in his hands, muttering something incoherent, he fled

 

 

 

 _Argh! Even now.._ Sehun took a deep breath, carefully pouring out the chocolate hazelnut drink into a cup, and slowly counting to 10…  _even now, even after everything they’d done, everything they did all the time.._

 

He could feel his face burning still, the blood roaring in his ears…

_Dammit_

 

_That idiot could so easily…_

 

Steeling himself, determined to stay cool, he neatly set the cup down on the tray alongside the plate with the slice of cheesecake, and picked it up carefully, making his way to the bathroom

Taking another deep breath just outside the door ( _c’mon, me, it’s_ just  _Tao, it’s just Tao, sure he’s hot and all, but you’ve seen him naked a gazillion times, what the hells up withchu now…)_ he pushed it open with his toe.

 

‘Whaa!! Taaaooo~~’  Grinning, wondering why he had gotten so flustered, Sehun skipped in, laughing his head off as Tao quickly brushed away the moustache he’d been making himself with a handful of foam. Setting the tray down carefully on the broad edge of the tub, he turned to laugh at him properly – ‘Why’d you take it off!! That looked really cool!!’  
‘Shuddup you idiot!!’ Tao growled, blushing, flicking a handful of foam at him

 

Of course, the next instance a full scale battle had erupted, the bubbly foam splattering all over the tiles, slicing through the steam laden air in giant splashes of water and soap, mingling with their squeals and yells and whoops of laughter, and Sehun’s high pitched admonitions to ‘watch the cake!!’ …..

 

 

 

 

‘Well…. At least its more  _manly_  now’ Tao gravely surveyed the foamless bath, bereft of any bubbles, which now lay in despondently drooping banners across the walls and floor, streaming across the mirror  
‘Honestly…who the hell actually uses  _bubble bath_ other than girls… _strawberry_ flavoured, that too!’  
‘…HaaaaAaaaaa??!! Pretty rich coming from someone who was just giving himself the Salon Whiskers Treatment!’  
‘Oohhh shuddup!’  the exhilaration of bloodthirst fading, acid leached through his muscles again, the ache settling in bone deep, and Tao slumped against the cool side of the bath, which was still sending spirals of steam lacing through the air.  
‘Hey…’ Sehun leaned over, squatting beside the tub to thread his fingers through his hair. ‘Aaahh...we shouldn’t have..’  
‘Mm-mm’ Humming in negation, Tao lazily turned his lips against Sehun’s hand, smiling at him  
‘Ah!’ Springing up, Sehun reached for the tray, which had miraculously escaped the war unscathed, pushing it next to Tao. ‘Try this, k! and this time, actually relax!’ While Tao scooped up a bit of the cake between thumb and forefinger, to suckle it off languorously, immediately drawing in air in a low whistle at how good it tasted, Sehun rolled up the bottoms of his trousers, and gingerly stepped in to the bath.  
‘…… You  _do_ realise you’re already wet through..’ Tao raised a teasing eyebrow at his preparations,  receiving a soapy fist in the back for his troubles, as Sehun lathered up his loofah, and perched at the edge of the tub, behind Tao  
‘C’mere, come closer’ Sehun quirked his fingers at him, and grinning, Tao turned back to face the mirror that hung opposite the bath, wriggling closer to Sehun, proffering the rich smooth, melted chocolate-y expance of his back to him, carefully carrying the saucer of cheesecake with him, above splash level  
‘This is seriously good!!’  
‘Isn’t it?? It’s from that new place on Shanghang Road’  
‘Café…bird something?’  
‘Kiwi Café, shagua!’  
Satisfied with the lather build up, Sehun ran the loofah down Tao’s back, making him groan in pleasure and stretch ‘I called Lu  Han over to get me the Fes stuff’  
‘Mmm?’  
‘Yeah! He snuck out during lunch with all the bags’  
  
 _and then that…_ idiot _had the…the_  gall, the audacity… _the sheer effrontery to..._

 

‘Ouch!! Sehun!!!’  
‘Eh?.......... Ah! Sorry!!’ Sehun immediately let up the pressure with which he was scrubbing over Tao’s back, his fury channelling through his fingers to almost take his skin off –  
‘No, idiot, it’s not that, I was talking about that’

‘Huh?’

Sehun followed Tao’s finger to where he was pointing at their reflection in the mirror

‘The  _painful_ thing is the sight of your ugly mug – Oyy!! Watch the cake!!’

‘Stupid Tao!!!’

Tao just chuckled, settling back down in front of Sehun’s knees, casually drapping a soapy wet elbow over them  
‘So?’

‘Hmm?’

‘What is it, what happened?’

‘……………… nothing…’

‘Eeehh~~ So you met up with Lu  Han, and  _nothing_ happened, that’s making you make a face like that??’

‘…………….’ Tao’s voice had held a chill..an icy tone that Sehun knew heralded trouble…  
But..  
‘errr’

 

‘Ehh. Well, if it’s something you can’t tell me about…’ Tao pulled away suddenly, placing the saucer with the half eaten cake on the floor  
‘It’s getting late, I’ll finish up, you go to – ‘

‘It’s not that!!!!’

Tao still leaned away from him, and the vehemence in Sehun’s voice grew  
‘That – It’s the  _opposite_ that iidiot  _that…aarrghh,_ he said, he was talking all this  _rubbish_ , like he admired you and you’re handsome…and he..he  _even_ said you were  _cute!!!!!!!_ ’

 

‘…………..??!!!’ His mouth hanging open, Tao twisted to face Sehun – then burst out laughing, till tears formed in his eyes, at the sight of his blazing red cheeks as angry as a hornet and his soapy hands fisted together, twisting the loofah viciously, as he snapped at him - ‘ _it’s not funny!!’ –_ making Tao only laugh all the more

 

 

‘So…you guys met up there…’ Tao finally wheezed, moving back to Sehun, who started on his shoulders, flexing his fingers over Tao’s knotted muscles, and skimming them lightly into the dips and faint indentations. ‘Uuurrrhmmm that feels so good…aammm….so, he went to the Committee for you? Hehe, how did you work that?? Without..ya know – ohhh yeah, omg there – ‘ his head lolled down as he groaned ‘without letting it all out?’

‘Ehehe, no! Whaddya take me for, Huang Zitao-ya, I’m  _much_ smarter than that!!’

Tao chuckled at Sehun’s expression in the mirror, reaching upto circle Sehun’s wrist and wiped off a handful of soap, bringing his sudsy fingers together,  then moving them slightly apart to blow bubbles through the thin iridescent film up at Sehun, making his squeal and giggle as he batted them away, laughing as they burst against his fingertips, or managed to bounce off of him to pop against Tao’s nose, spraying him with a fine mist of cold ice – making him blow even more bubbles right at Sehun, bursting them all over him, and making him squeal louder, hitting at Tao with the loofah ‘soppit- stoppit, Tao stop~~’

 

 

 ‘So, I’m seriously so smart right, I told Lu  Han to just go ask Mai for the Fes stuff needed to be looked over’ Sehun finally continued, when he’d managed to make Tao stop, forcing him to sit quietly between his legs, as he reached over to grip his elbow, lifting it, to stretch his arm out to one side, and started lathering all over it, working over his biceps and triceps..massaging round and round in smooth soapy movements …

 ‘Mai??!!!!!!!’

‘Yeah!’ Sehun chuckled proudly, meeting Tao’s eyes in the mirror as he moved his hands back upto his shoulder..then down again.. pressing their fingers together, and pushing up against the webs of his hands, before moving back up the length of their bronze muscles, the skin reddened now from the heat of the water and steam ‘Lu  Han was surprised lol, she didn’t say anything just gave it to him – see, when she heard I was asking for them, specifically for the things that needed looking over, she would definitely have known you were involved somehow right? So she’d shut up and give ‘em to him, seeing as how she’s friggin Ms Annoying All-Over-You Zitao worshipper of the year..’ His fingers gripping unconsciously tighter at each word, making Tao snigger – ‘Ehh… _zitao worshipper,_  eh…that doesn’t sound too bad..’

‘Huuuhhh?? Well…..well, you should be grateful then, those sort of nutjobs, who think  _you_ are something special, are probably born like, once a century’

‘Ha!! And what does that make  _you_ , my pet?’ Tao retorted cheekily, his airy tones more’n a match for Sehun’s, making him reach to tug his ear lobe, _hard._

‘Oww!’ Flinching away, sending splashes of soapy water splattering onto the tiles, Tao rubbed his ear,  before sticking out his tongue at Sehun – ‘That _hurt,_ dumbass!’

‘Mmm-mm..’  Sehun reached to pacifically rub it too, pulling Tao back, frowning suddenly as Tao grumbled under his breath and scooted back towards him ‘Ah, Tao-ya, seriously, you’d look so good with like.. a buncha piercings, ya know!’

‘…No. Way!’ Tao jerked away, glaring suspiciously at him, making Sehun laugh out loud – ‘Idiot! It’s not like I have some needles on me now!’

Muttering, but grinning along, Tao bumped Sehun’s knee with the back of his head ‘After the last time, you can’t blame me for being wary..’

‘Hey! It was  _one_ time, can we please  _forget_ about it already??!!! Besides, it’s your fault for being an idiot..if you hadn’t woken up like that, I bet I could’ve done it all crisp and neat and apple pie, all –‘

‘Ha! Yeah, I should’ve stayed asleep while you stuck a red hot needle through my ear~’

‘…Ohh shuddup!’ Flicking his soapy hand against Tao’s head, Sehun moved over to his other arm, working up and down it ‘Well, anyway, so he went and asked Mai, and brought me all the Fes stuff – oh, try the milkshake!’

‘Umm, yeah!................Omg this is really good!!’

‘Right?! Its some…err..choconut twist – chocolate and hazelnut and hershey’s and…

Oh yes please!!’ He nodded, grinning, as Tao offered him the glass for a sip –

 

-‘aaaah!’

Shaking his hands sheepishly, Sehun indicated the lather covering his fingers

 

‘Ohh’

 

‘Mm..Just leave a sip for me at the end, k’

 

‘Huh? Idiot!’ Grinning, Tao took a giant mouthful, half turned to Sehun and crooked a finger sexily, making him giggle and lick his lips, before leaning forward to press them against Tao’s, drinking the chilled thick slush of chocolate out of his mouth, sliding his tongue in to stroke out the little bits of crushed nuts….

 

Finally, both their faces steaming, and not just from the heat of the water, they broke apart, and Sehun shyly cleared his throats a couple of times, before continuing, massaging the loofah over Tao’s shoulders, reaching down his sides ‘Umm. He brought all the Fes stuff, then that first year brought me the tournament things’  
Stretching luxuriously under his ministrations, Tao purred ‘First year?’  
‘Yeah..ya know, that beansprout kid in the art club’  
‘Beansprout!?’  
‘Minwoo…No Minwoo?’  
‘Aaahh..yeah, yeah he’s Korean too right..’

‘Umm!’ Sehun worked the lather up Tao’s muscular forearms, that flexed and contracted involuntarily under the potent mixture of hot frothy lavender and Sehun’s soft silky touch  
‘Ne, there’r a buncha Korean kids in your Wushu club too right?’

‘Mm! Yeah! Aah, that reminds me, omg, so, in the morning, I just went in, right, and well, the hall was so quiet from the outside, that I naturally thought I was the first one in?  So I slide open the door and step in, and you won’t  _believe_  -  ‘

 

 

  

 ‘Ah! That’s  _brilliant_!!’  
‘Oyy!! Are you working on the Treasury report, or are you watching this!??’  
‘Aaaa-aahhh~’ pouting, Sehun turned away, grumbling under his breath as he scooted over behind Tao, sitting back to back, so he was ostensibly facing the opposite direction from the TV and purposefully taking the documents in hand, bumping his damp head against Tao’s every now and then, just to make sure the idiot remembered what was important (him) … Operation Let-Tao-have-a-relaxing-bath had ended precipitously when Sehun, soaked through after all the playing, had burst into a sneezing fit – making Tao burst into a scolding fit, and imperiously pull off his clothes, and dunk him into the hot steaming water alongside himself –  for obvious reasons, nothing that ensued thereafter could  exactly be described as ‘relaxing’…

 

They’d played around afterwards, mock wrestling over the big fluffy towel, not to mention the hairdryer, finally taking turns to dry each other’s hair, (Tao making frequent totally unwarranted comments about parrots and other birds with extraordinarily colourful plumage), before cleaning up the bedroom (Sehun grumbling about why they had to make the bed and shit when they’re just gonna get back in anyway) and tucking into a bowl of scrumptiously spicy, deliciously hot Naan and Chicken Rogan Josh from Fatema. Tao’d then settled down in front of the TV, to study the vids, while Sehun started on the next bag of Fes stuff – or tried to..

 

‘Bai-ii-chi, I already saw everything witchu in it, anyway, so there!! ha!’  
Tao chuckled in reply, bumping Sehun’s head back ‘Eehhh~~ Ne, Sehuna, you remember something about some type of people being born once in a century..or..something..’  
‘Shuddup!!’ Sehun bumped him extra hard, then slid down, leaning his head between Tao’s shoulder blades.

‘Ya know, I thought you would actually fight’

‘Hmm?!!’

‘Fight people, like..battle..ya know…knock out teeth, and drag them over the ground, and hit them with stuff…’

‘…waa’ Tao burst out laughing ‘You’ve been playing too much Sleeping Dogs!! See, there are two sets of competitions in the Wushu tourn – Taolu and Sanda. Last year, I only entered in the Taolu rounds…In Taolu, its like… we perform individually – like, on a mat – and we get graded for our moves by the judges..the scores get added up, and ya know..’

‘and the group stuff?’

‘The fights are choreographed beforehand – it’s the team members doing it together – same thing, you get judged ’

‘It’s more like… gymnastics or something’

‘Yeah! Taolu  _is_ something like that! It’s your forms that you compete on..like, this many points based on the difficulty of a move, then they take off some for increasing the number of steps in the run-up.. etc etc…with or without weapons… like.. some sort of a…solo exhibition? the scoring can get really intense, ya know, like, the slightest wrong positioning of a single finger…’

‘Eeehhh~~ so what about the other thing..San..san..’

‘Sanda..or Sanshou –  _that’s_ the sparring, where you fight an opponent’

‘And you don’t do that? Eehh… ‘ Sehun pursed his lips, totally unimpressed

‘Hey! Taolu is tough, ya know!! It’s the  _art_  in martial arts – ‘  
‘Haaaa!!! Whats with that line!??’  
‘Shuddup!! …………… Shifu says…Oh, shuttit already!! Well, anyway, anyone who can do a marginally good taolu routine can easily defeat anyone in a fight, k!!’  
‘Yeah, okay, if you say so…’  
‘Ughh, you’re such a dumbhead! Well, anyway, this year I’ve entered in the sanda rounds too, happy?!’  
‘Eh?!’ Sehun sat up, turning around, and twisting Tao to face him ‘You did??’  
‘Yeah’ Tao chuckled. ‘Why do you think I’ve been doing all the nonstop power exercises, and building up my muscles, and focusing on strengthening my kicks?’  
‘Ah! Fighting with that tree??’  
Tao laughed, leaning down to peck Sehun on the lips, before turning back to the TV ‘Yeah, exactly!’  
‘Eeehh…’ His voice suddenly quiet, Sehun flounced back around, leaning his back against Tao’s again, pillowing his head against his shoulder, sighing…

And sighing again…

 

And yet again..

 

‘Whaat?’

 

‘……….Nothing’

 

‘See~~hunnie~ what?’

 

‘You’ll be doing the knock out, punching, kicking, hitting thing?’

 

‘Yeah~~ lol, Isn’t that what you wanted? Your strong and macho boyfriend all Rambo-ing on some shit~~’

 

‘Mmm…’

 

‘ _What_?’

 

‘So…so….someone’s gonna….’

 

‘Sehun!’ Tao turned around, wrapping his arms around him, and pulling his head into his chest. ‘Hey, babe, what’s bothering you?’ Worried at the heavy undertones in Sehun’s voice, Tao chucked his cheek gently with a knuckle. ‘Tell me, c‘mon’

 

Sehun leaned closer, pressing his back into Tao’s chest, and slid his fingers over his sleeve, fiddling with it  
‘Well…so..someone’s gonna be..ya know… kicking and punching at you??’

 

‘Ha! You idiot, is that all, yeah, of course they are, it’s sparring!!’

 

‘Shuddup!’ Sehun pinched his arm through his sleeve. ‘What if..what if you get hurt???’

 

‘Hmmm..’ Tao rested his chin on his shoulder, kissing his neck (‘ _my mole!’ the thought flashed momentarily, irrelevantly through Sehun’s mind_ ) ‘Well…well, realistically, I won’t be getting through it entirely without a scratch – but Hunnie, that’s fine!! See, half our training is how to  _get_ hit properly – how to manoeuvre so we can minimise damage, and well…how to avoid getting hurt, coz then – well, our opponent gets more points! Like… ‘ He interlaced their fingers as he spoke, his voice earnest and soothing at once ‘..see, if my opponent manages to make me fall off the platform..or…fall down even, he gets 2 points. If he manages to  _kick_ me in the head, or on my body, he gets 2 points..but if he only manages a  _punch_ he gets only 1 point, just like he only gets 1 point, if he kicks my  _thighs_  – ‘  
‘How the hell is that any more reassuring??!!!’  
‘well..err…I mean, ya know.. kicks hurt more than being punched….or something..’  
Sehun snapped his head up to glare at him, making Tao chuckle. ‘Hey..is this all the faith you have in me?’ Laughing, he bent to kiss him.. Sehun stonily refusing to respond for a whole minute, before he melted against him, putting his hands up to stroke his hair.

 

‘Hmm, see? I’ll be fine! Don’t worry, I’ve been training really hard – ‘ Tao growled, as he broke away

‘I – urmm, I’m not worried!!’

‘Eeehh~~’

‘Yeah!! Don’t you know, idiots don’t get hurt!!’

‘…isn’t it, ‘idiots never catch colds’?’

‘Whatever!! It’s the same thing!’ Sehun clunked their foreheads together. ‘See? You won’t be able to feel anything through this thick skull anyway! Now go away, I’m trying to figure out the budget for the costumes for the play’

‘…fine, fine’ grinning, Tao turned around, folding and unfolding his long legs, to place his back against Sehun’s again, turning up the volume of the commentary of the match he was watching..

and focusing intently on it for all of 2 minutes, before nudging Sehun. ‘Isn’t it that the Niulang and Zhinu thing?’

‘No! seriously, that’s the  _same_ play you guys did for last year’s fes, and the year before, and the year before,  _and_ for cultural day, and for the Arts competition, and for the Headmaster’s birthday  - I mean,  _I’ve_ seen it 3 times already, don’t you think it’s time we scrapped it??!!!’

‘Yeah!!’

‘Right? We should totally do something cool this year – something fun, and like.. _current_!!’

‘Yes exactly!!’

‘Ehehehe, I know right….. aa-ah, I’m a genius..’

‘Nope.' Tao smirked. ' _I’m_ the genius’

‘Huuhhh??!! What the hell did  _you_  do!’

‘Oh, ex-cuse me, I’m the one who got you to do this!’

‘….i wish people would stop saying that –  _I_ volunteered!  _By myself!_  Ha! Like you’d….’

‘Well….well..it was definitely coz of me, tho!!’

‘Yeah, yeah, whatever……… I know you can’t see me, so I’m notifying you right now, I’m sticking out my tongue at you’

‘…no you’re not’

‘I am too!!’

‘yeah? Then how are you talking?’

‘….oohhh go tho thell!!’

Tao laughed in reply, and bumped his head playfully against Sehun’s again

 

Finally, silence descended over the little house again, broken only by the sounds of the TV, those slightly hazy cheers and calls that sounded like they were coming from a wormhole two and a half dimensions away… unreal and plastic…

 

‘Ne..Taotao…’

‘Hmm?’

‘..You’ll…… be careful, right?’

‘Of course, babe, I’ll be fine!! How can I not, getting hurt means losing points, and I can’t let that happen, not when I have such an awesome personal cheerleader coming just to support me, right?!’  
‘….you idiot, who cares about  _points_ don’t you dare get injured, that’s all!!!’  
‘Yeah Hunhun’ Tao drawled, his grin audible in his voice. ‘I’ll be perfectly alright, promise!’  
‘…Well….well, as long as we’re clear on that!’

‘C’mere’  
‘Hmm?’  
‘C’mover here, leave that stuff for a bit’  
Grumbling, Sehun turned around, siddling to sit beside Tao.  
‘See that?’  
‘Mm…?’  
‘See how he jumped to avoid that? That was a mistake, he should have bent, and moved to his right  – see, right there, the opponent was favouring his left leg – that means he was going to kick out with his right – see – there!’  
‘…..Ah! You’re right!’  
‘See?!  
Ah – look, there…’

 

Tao pointed out everything, the moves, and what was wrong, and what he’d have done the same, sitting beside him, leaning back on his arms so close, the heat from his body radiated into Sehun, sending frissons of fire right through his checked blue flannel shirt….

 

Till he’d convinced him, till he’d shown him beyond a doubt, that he was  _actually_ that good…

 

Till Sehun finally, for the first time, realised what it  _actually_ meant to be the Captain of No.x High’s Wushu club….grasped the real reason for the awe and respect and…  _wonder_ that everyone held him in….

 

Till he melted against Tao’s side, cuddling into his chest, and rubbed his cheek against him, whispering ‘Yeah..I’m really not worried’, while filled up inside with neon helium writing out two things – one, that Tao  _would_ actually be alright…  
And two, that he was totally the  _best_ boyfriend on the planet!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Taotao.’

 

……………………..

 

……

 

‘ _Taaaoo_ ’

 

 

 

 

‘Oyy Zitao, if you don’t get up now, I’ll attack you, ya know!!’

 

 

‘mrrmm..that’s fine..’

Mumbling huskily in his sleep drunk voice, Tao turned, pulling the covers up around himself, rubbing his cheek into Sehun’s shoulder… slowly blinking open..

Sehun was leaning over him, on one arm, his fingers lightly threading through Tao's hair..

The warm golden sunlight poured in, in sweet mellow shafts, bathing over him in crisp yet hazy haloes…. Over that brilliantly coloured hair, the oranges and yellows melding in the winter light to a rich flaxen coil… the curve of his cheekbone, the angle of his jaw, the whorl of his ear…  the heavy cream drawing in the buttery beams that matched them so gorgeously …while gleaming so glossy…  
Those cotton candy pink lips, wet and juicy and oh so luscious….

 

The sight was breathtaking, and for a moment Tao stared speechless... it was so incredible… _unbelievable_ …he remembered clearly, in extremely high def, how he’d felt when he first laid eyes on Sehun… _that he was ethereal.._

_magical…_

 

Grinning, he blinked again, rubbing his eyes  
‘..If you wanna, that bad…that you’d even molest a poor, defenceless, sleeping boy…’

‘HaaAAaaa??!! Who-the-whatthe, who’sthe defencelessone,  _WHO_  even the  _fuck_ wants you, you stupid  _nincompoop!!!’_

Tao burst out laughing,  grabbing Sehun back as he started to fling off the covers, wrapping him in his arms ‘Your Chinese is getting better…well, at least more varied’  
‘..Shuddup!’ Sehun cuddled in, burrowing into Tao’s chest, and stretching his leg between his, running it along their length  
‘If you don’t get up now, you’re gonna be late’

‘Hmmm? Oh, didn’t I say last night, we don’t have practice today’

‘Ehh??’

‘Yeah! Coz it’s the last day – tomorrow’s the tournament, right? So today we’re just having the last pep talks and all that…’

‘Eehhh…so we can go to school at the usual time?’

‘Umm! Sleep~sleepy~~’ Purring, Tao turned to his side, taking Sehun with him, spooning him, and burying his face in his neck

‘So you’re coming to class today?’

‘Mmm..’

‘…aawww, that sucks, ne..i was free for a few days from any annoying mosquito buzzing behind me..’ Sehun drawled, then burst out squealing as Tao tickled him in retribution  
‘Stoppit! Idiot!! Baichi!!!!!!!’

Grinning, his eyes still closed, Tao let up, sliding his palms under Sehun’s shirt instead.

‘Soo..you’re leaving tomorrow morning?’

‘Yeah, we’ll leave from here at 5:30 am….ah! that’s right, Hun-ah, how’re you lot coming?’

‘Umm, we’ll be leaving by afternoon… like..around 25 people have signed up to come, but that’s just from our year..i’m not sure about First and Third… then theres the whole cheer squad…. ‘

‘Whoa!’ Tao cracked a lid open at that ‘Are you serious?? Usually only like, a group of fangirls show up!!’

‘Yeah!! Basically, our  entire class, n a couple of people from the other section… well, anyway, so they okay-d us to take the school buses..ah, and Xing Laoshi, and Chen Laoshi too’

‘Eeehhh…’

‘We’ll come back in the evening though, and then come again day after… you’ll be staying on there for the 2 days?’

‘Umm. Shifu’s booked us into a hotel…The individual items are tomorrow, and the group ones day after, right, so…  
Ah! That reminds me, sorry, ne, Hun-ah, I’ll be late back tonight…’

‘Hmm?’

‘Yeah..i promised the team I’d take them out for dinner..ya know, captain’s treat-‘

‘No.’ Sehun had gone stiff in his arms, his voice suddenly scratchy ‘I refuse.’

‘Huu-nniiee! It’s just dinner, ne, I’ll come right back as soon as, look, it’s tradition- ‘

‘ _I don’t care about your stupid tradition!!’_ Sehun turned to glare at him angrily, his eyes swimming ‘It’s the very last night you’re here, I’m not letting you go gallivanting around with your stupid club, stupid idiot, you’re not going to be staying here again, first of all, I’m putting up with so much just coz you’re in practice all the time, tell them to go to hell!!’

 

‘…Sehun…’

 

‘Arrgh!’ Yelling in exasperation at the tone in Tao’s voice, Sehun leapt out of bed, stamping into the bathroom in high dudgeon and slamming the door behind him as hard as he could

 

Tao couldn’t help the little giggle that played at his lips the rest of the morning – unlike their usual fights, when everything was smothered in an awful, painful silence, this time, loud bangs and crashes echoed all around him – Sehun slamming his way around the kitchen…pounding a march as they walked to school, staying carefully five paces away from him…. Walloping into his chair in class, ignoring all the helloes and good mornings with which everyone greeted him, and thumping his bag on the table…then clattering his chair forward as a highly entertained Tao settled down behind him, fighting down his giggles as the anxious class converged on Sehun….

 

But as the day progressed, and there wasn’t even the slightest thaw in the crackling ice, his amusement leached away, and concern took its place – till, by the time Bo Xian and Chan Ye came up to him during PE, excitedly discussing the treat, as he sat worriedly watching Sehun wrestle with the basket ball, resolutely turned away from Tao, even though they had been numbered next to each other when they drew lots for the game, he looked up at them gravely, his voice low, yet determined, as he said, ‘Guys…I’m really really really sorry, ne…but..i can’t have dinner with you tonight’

‘Eeeehhh!!! Whaattt??!!’  
‘Duizhang!!!!!!! You promised!!!!!!!!!!!!’  
‘Whhyyyyy???!!!!’  
‘Everyone’s all excited and stuff!!’

‘Guys…seriously..seriously, I’m sorry, but I just  _cannot_ today….’

‘ _Whyever not_?’ Bo Xian frowned at him, as close to pouting as he’d ever seen him. ‘You have to, anyway, it’s like…morale building, confidence boosting..team spirit and…’  
‘ _I’m sorry okay!!_ But I really..can’t..’  
As Bo xian started arguing with him, in progressively louder tones, though, Chan Ye’s eye was caught by something else – the figure at the end of the bleacher, which had suddenly turned still…unnaturally stiff…..

_Ah_

‘Duizhang, this is really mean, ne!’ He cut in, slicing right through the escalating back-and-forth. ‘As the Captain, you can’t blow the pre competition dinner……… isn’t that right, Sehun?’

‘Huh??’ Gasping, Sehun straightened, gaping open mouthed at Chan Ye – while behind the tall, lanky guy, both Bo Xian and Tao unknowingly synchronized their gobsmacked expressions

‘It’s tradition, right! Like, our good luck charm…ne, Sehun?’ He continued airily, seemingly unaware of the shock he was dealing

‘…ermm…..i guess…’

‘See? Even Sehun agrees, Duizhang, so you can’t wriggle out of it – ‘

He was cut off by three disparate voices discordantly yelling the same thing – ‘Waitaminute!!’

‘Hmm?’ He archly raised an eyebrow, looking round at them – and Bo Xian grinned, falling right in with him, then – ‘Yeah! See, when even Sehun says how important it is, you really can’t just bail out on us!’

‘…….Wait! I didn’t – I mean, I don’t – wait – ‘ Sehun spluttered, before falling into helpless silence – only the squeak of rubber soled sneakers, and the pounding ball, and the cheers and calls of the ongoing match sounding around the four of them….

‘Ehh? What’re you saying, Sehun, c’mon man, get it together or we won’t get our treat!’

‘Yeah, Sehun, Duizhang knows all the best places! And he treats super lavishly, ehehe’

‘True that! You’ll be sorry if you missed dinner with our captain!’

 ‘Yeah, it’s only coz you haven’t ever had a meal with Duizhang that you don’t know!’

Tao and Sehun were so flustered by now, they totally missed the conspiratorial looks, and mischievous winks that passed between the two

‘….errmmm…yeah…’ Sehun coughed

‘There you go!’

‘Yeah, so it’s fixed, ne, Duizhang!’

‘Yaayysss!! Go Chupacabras!!’

‘…what?’

‘That’s our club name, Chupacabras!!’

‘….no its really  _not_ , Bo Xian..’

‘Ohh Shuddup! Anyway, its gonna be great!’

‘Yeah, Sehun, you haven’t eaten till you’ve eaten out Duizhang!’

‘.. _what!!???’_ Sehun choked, accidentally biting his tongue, his eyes watering as he gasped

‘Huh??’ Chan Ye looked at him quizzically ‘You haven’t eaten till you’ve eaten with Duizhang…?’

 ‘..ohh…’

‘Ehh, you’re acting weird, Sehun… Anyway, he has the most juicy thighs…’ Bo Xian clasped his hands together, and Chan Ye joined him, both turning soulful eyes at Tao ‘Yeeaaaaahhhh….they just look so delicious….almost as yummy as they taste….’

‘… _WHAT??’_

‘Hmm? That Japanese guy -  The cook at the restaurant -  He somehow manages to get his hands on  _the_ best chicken you’ve ever tasted, Sehun!’

‘Yeah! You won’t believe how good the thighs are!’

‘…ohh….right…of course…that’s what you meant…’

‘Huh?!’

‘Lol, What did you think we meant??’

‘No..nothing..’

Grinning, Chan Ye and Bo Xian walked off, trying their hardest not to burst out laughing and give the game away, Bo Xian's ears turning dangerously crimson with the effort,  as the whistle blew, signalling their set

‘Well, anyway, you’re gonna enjoy it, Sehun! You’re in for a treat!!’ Chen Ye smiled back over his shoulder

‘…yeah…..

……

..

Ehhh wait, what??  _I’ll_ enjoy it??’

‘Hmm? Yeah…dinner??’ Bo Xian turned to look at him like he was a total idiot

‘…Dinner?’ Tao finally croaked, finding his voice for the first time since this surreal conversation had begun

‘Huhhhh?!! What’s wrong with both of you…’

‘Yeah, anyone’d think you guys didn’t get enough sleep or something…’

‘Totals!! Like you both were going hard  _all_ night’

‘………rgur?’

‘Ehehe, though obviously, Sehun partying somewhere and Duizhang studying, right..’

‘….right..’ Sehun nodded, like that was  _just_ what he had expected. ‘…But…urrmm…about dinner…’

‘Huuhh? You can’t come??’

‘ _Sehun!!_ Not you too, just when we finally got this one to work!’ Bo Xian jerked his head at Tao

‘Seriously, man, it’s like you guys are infecting each other…’

'Yeah, is there some contact virus i'm not aware of...' 

‘….No, wait, what, wait, no, that’s not..... I mean..it’s just you guys from the club right?? I’m not  _in_ your club!!’

‘Eeehhh!! Don’t be silly!!’

‘Yeah!! Everyone knows how much you’ve been working for the support and stuff – ‘

As Laoshi blew a ear splittingly irritated whistle at them, Chan Ye and Bo Xian waved apologetically and ran off – but not before Chan Ye had turned one last time to call ‘yeah!! Everyone in the club really wantsa meet you too!! After all….’ With that cryptic drawl, he headed onto the court, catching the ball Lu  Han tossed to him easily and starting to dribble right off.

 

 

 


	19. Chapter Eighteen.

  
‘Dude!! We’re gonna be late!! C’mon!!’

Tao groaned, tugging the collar of the Comme des Garcons jacket he’d borrowed off of Sehun higher. ‘I really don’t wanna go...’

Sehun. 1000 watt beam riding from ear to ear, only reached up on his toes to ruffle his hair, before slamming on a snapback. ‘There! You look perfect!!’ He slid down, to land a peck right on his lips. ‘Now let’s go, let’s go, let’s  _go_!!’

Sighing, Tao grabbed his wallet off the shelf, as he let Sehun drag him out the door, and into the evening. It was already pitch black, the day having fallen away abruptly in the chill, and even as they stepped out, Sehun turning to lock the door behind him, Tao could see the lights winking on along the road in the distance.

‘I’m telling you, they  _know_.’

‘And  _I’m_ telling you, there's no way!! They’re just idiots goofin around….’ Sehun playfully slid an arm around Tao’s waist as they started walking down the deserted streets, their breaths fogging in the frigid air. ‘Besides….supposing they  _do_ know….whaddya gonna do, eh,  _Duizhang_ , wanna break up?’

Tao chuckled to himself, then smirked over at Sehun, arching an eyebrow as he drawled ‘Hmm…weeellll… I’ll have to think about it…..’

Sehun spun about, to stare Tao down ‘….Do you mind repeating that.’ He fisted his hands, and put them up, stepping back and forth quickly, like his question had really been him calling Tao out

Tao hooted with laughter at his determined frown. ‘Oh, you think you can take me, huh, baby face?’ he teased, stepping forward, putting his own hands up

‘…………

………

..

Well I would, but I don’t wanna mess up my jacket’ Tossing his hair, Sehun turned around and set off again, his nose almost perpendicular to the ground as he stuck it in the air

Tao laughed, and quickened his pace to catch up to him. ‘It  _is_ a nice jacket, ne~’ He tugged at the wrists, showing them off as he held them out in front.

‘Yeah!’

‘But I’d still have liked to have my own clothes, ya know….i don’t know  _why_  you’re so set against me goin home n getting some more…’

‘…………..coz. Well, anyway, you’re leaving tomorrow for the Tourn., and..then you’re going straight back home right..’

‘..yeaah..’

Silence fell, as the two boys wrapped their arms together, both of them feeling that sharply poignant pain that preceded farewell. It was hard to believe it was over, their wonderful little holiday…Waking up every morning  side by side, and falling asleep every night holding each other…eating together in front of the TV, or goofing around in the bath, or just..looking up every now and then from whatever it was they were doing, and catching the other’s eye, and knowing they were together…

Just those little things..

 

Those indescribably beautiful, precious, little things.

 

‘We’ll still be together all the time, right, it’s just that I’d have to go home at night..’

‘Yeah…’

‘And, hey, we’re still sitting next to each other in class, right!’

‘..yeah… And, oh! Once the tourn is over, you’ll be free a lot more, we can actually hang out waay more’

‘Uh-Huh! See? It won’t be so bad…’ Tao tilted his head to flash Sehun a big grin…before looking away hastily as he felt his eyes fill up

‘yeah…’  Sehun sighed, pushing his fingers into Tao’s mittens, to twine their fingers together like he always did.

 

 

‘Besides…we had fun right.’ He whispered softly, and Tao nodded vigorously in reply, pulling him even closer to his side ‘It was the best!!’

 

‘Well…well, then..i just have to work around your mom, so she lets you come over loads!!’

His suddenly determined voice, and gritty frown had a giggle burst out of Tao in spite of himself - and he chuckled,   feeling a strange lightness chasing away his dejection. ‘If my mom were any fonder of you, she’d disown me and adopt you instead!’

‘That’s coz I’m so full of lovable-ness nee~~’ Sehun crowed, making Tao snort ‘Oh, you’re full of  _something_ all right’ Giggling, Sehun stuck his tongue out at him, and, the melancholy almost completely blown away, they walked through the town, the scattered snow crunching under their boots, laughing and ribbing at each other.

 

As they approached the busier districts, the lights blazoned out, as crowds of people appeared, forcing them to let go of each other, and keep a safe distance between them as they made their way through the throng; fairy lights hung from every possible elevation, and every circle had a beautifully decorated Christmas tree winking it’s glitter and tinsel proudly down at the scurrying humans - Ladies in beautiful fur coats draped over silk dresses rushing about hither and there, getting in their last minute shopping.. Men in trench coats and hats smoking cigars in their envelveted clubs, or lining up at jewellery stores and florists’…children rampaging through toy shops and invading the chocolate sections of every supermarket…raucously joyful music blaring from every store front, each with an impossibly shiny collection of wares displayed prominently in their windows – and everywhere, that indescribable sense of excitement, and anticipation, on every face, the biggest possible grin…

Sehun laughed out loud, the thrill gripping him too – of course, it was awful that Tao had to leave – but for now,  _right now,_ they were together, and he couldn’t imagine a better place to be. Not knowing the reason, but happy to see him smile so unreservedly, Tao grinned in response, and reached for his hand again.

‘Eh! You sure?!’

‘Hmm? Yeah!’ Tao waved his free hand, like it was nothing. ‘Everyone’s too busy..n it’s  _too_  crowded, ya know…’

 

Felling even happier, Sehun gripped his fingers through tighter, before starting to vigorously swing their entwined hands back and forth in time to the carol boisterously piping from the corner

‘Wha..’ Surprised at first, Tao gasped – then laughed, and joined in wholeheartedly, and they strode down the road in march time, swinging their hands widely.

‘So, where’s this place we’re going?’

‘Ohho, you’ll see, it’s awesome!!’

Sehun sniggered – ‘yeah, I figured, from the way Chan Ye n Bo Xian were going on about it….dyu guys go there all the time?’

‘Hmm? Well, it’s kinda like, our tradition, we go eat there before any big event…the chef’s a supporter of the club, ya know, he’s really sweet, even comes out to some of our competitions and stuff’

‘Really?? Wow!!’

 

  

They turned off the main road, cutting across a tiny alleyway, before emerging onto a side street, lined impossibly high with tottering old shops – more like shacks, tiny little huddles, all filled with gleaming clothes and racks and racks of fluorescent trinkets, garishly painted masks and hats glaring out of one doorway, while toy cars kept up an unremitting pipping from another.. An old lady stretched out a gnarled hand to Sehun from under the shadow of bales of luridly coloured cloth, tugging his shirt with a leery grin, and whispering pointedly at him in some dialect he couldn’t understand… Chicken squawked their protests from inside the stack of tiny cages that were leaning against an open stall, which had a richly sizzling grill, and prominently displayed bowls of meat. Odd smells wafted up from a cane basket tied to the back of a bicycle that a dirty greybeard was wheeling just ahead of the boys – as Sehun watched, something moved inside it, rattling the lid – startled, he fell against Tao – who only laughed, and pulled him along.. Every few feet, there were weirdly carved doorways – demons and dragons prancing about giant blossoms, and if you listened real close, you could hear the faint strains of lute music murmuring out…. The whole place was a vortex, a swirling whirlpool of colour and noise and smell and voice.  Something caught Sehun’s eye in a painted doorway, a red trilby style hat that would look  _amazing_ on Tao – but before he could investigate further, Tao’d herded him off, bustling him down another side street, which had them coming up at another busy, tumultuous thoroughfare, before they finally turned down a back alley.

It was almost like a physical blow – the calm silence that filled the stone-paved street, the gentle flutter of an evergreen bough… Every building they passed was built in the old style, stone carvings and iron grilling sedately looking out from under canopied red tiled roofs.

At last, Tao stopped in front of a tiny doorway. ‘We’re here!’ He grinned down at Sehun, before stepping forward to open the door for him. ‘Ohorat!!’ Sehun, giggling with anticipation, stepped in, secretly bumping his shoulder suggestively against Tao’s chest, before making his way right into the little restaurant.

Hardly had he stepped in, when a little hurricane dressed in white darted up – calling out to Tao, and bowing and shaking his hand simultaneously as he pulled him into the store – ‘Tao-san!!! Good Evening, come in, come in, It’s Buchou-san, everyone!! Tao-san, I have the most  _delicious_ crayfish, I got them ‘specially for you, you’ll try some, yes? And who is this, I haven’t seen you before, welcome, welcome!!!’ The elderly man, in the chef’s apron and hat grasped Sehun’s hand too, pressing it warmly as he beamed at him, his eyes sparkling warmly.

‘Ah! Hiro-san, this is my friend, Sehun..’

‘Ah!! Most pleased, Sehun-san, welcome to my little restaurant, you are hungry, yes? I hope you are, so you can enjoy my food all the better, yes? Come in, come in!’

Laughing, Sehun followed Tao and Hiro-san in. The restaurant – Trattoria Verde, as it said on the little rustic-looking iron sign by the door, was a tiny little place – Sehun counted just about five or six tables in all, all of which were filled right then with boys in various stages of lively celebration, clinking glasses of cider as they hooted and yelled School cheers. To the left was the kitchen – it was open, adjoining – no, almost like the dining area was  _in_ the kitchen, the hustle and bustle of the three chefs inside right in front of them. The single waitress, flawlessly pretty in her black skirt-suit, her hair done up in an elaborate twist, bowed to them, before coming forward to shake hands with him, and introducing herself as ‘Cici’, as she showed them to the two empty chairs at the middle table.

Sehun and Tao squeezed past the legs and arms and plates of antipasto that were being passed about from table to table, to squash themselves into their chairs. Right above their heads, a banner had been strung up, noisily proclaiming ‘GO, CHUPACABRAS!!’ Laughing, Sehun accepted the tall glass of cider that one of the First Years poured out for him, and they all reached forward to clink them together – all 19 of the boys, plus Sehun, of course, loudly calling out their cheers, as Chef Hiro, and Cici, beamed indulgently at them – and above everyone else’s voice rose Bo Xian’s, yelling – ‘GO CHUPACABRAS!!’ Of course, this set them all off laughing – while Chan Ye rounded on him good naturedly trying to convince him, that no, that  _still_ wasn’t what their club was called.

‘I thought it must’ve been you behind this!’ Tao laughingly added, jerking his head at the banner that was fluttering in neon colours above him. 

‘Duizhang!! Please tell me we aren’t really going by ‘Chupacabras’!’ Minsoo leaned forward, real worry in his eyes as he earnestly queried.

‘Of course not!’ Tao grinned at him, while reassuringly patting his hand.

‘That’s right, idiot!’ Another of the First Years cut in, tugging Minsoo away ‘It was Sehun-Ge who did all the actual banners and stuff, so  _obviously_ , it’s not gonna be something dumb, right’

‘Eeehhhhh!!!’ Bo Xian jumped to his feet, pointing a dramatic finger at the kid ‘What did you just say??!!’

‘Sit  _down_ , dumbhead, he’s just saying Sehun has  _waayy_ better taste than you – which is just a fact, really..’

Sehun laughed as Bo Xian spluttered, lifting his glass to toast Chan Ye ‘Your faith in my abilities is much appreciated’ 

Everyone laughed again, going harder as another of the First Years (Wu) pouted, his voice loud and petulant  ‘Of course Sehun-ge has good taste – everyone knows that!!’

But while everyone else laughed, Chan Ye flashed Wu a glowering look, reaching one long leg to kick him under the table – he’d caught the pointed way the kid had looked at Tao while saying it. 

Chan Ye hadn’t been joking earlier in the evening when he’d told Sehun everyone in the club wanted to meet him. When Bo Xian and he had seen him with Zitao that day, they’d decided to keep it quiet – as quiet as possible…

But really, Duizhang was  _seriously careless!!_

First it had been whispers going around the practice hall, carefully kept out of hearing of the Second Years – how a bunch of guys, going home late after Cram, had seen the two of them out near the hill…then someone had seen them eating dinner somewhere….someone else had seen them walking near the pier, and they were  _holding hands…._  Chan Ye had never enquired about what the boys had been talking about, when everytime he, or another Second Year walked in, and there’d suddenly be a drop dead silence, accompanied by the most uncomfortable glances.  But after what Bo Xian and he had seen that day, he  _did_ start to pay attention – and as he feared, it was indeed rumours about Duizhang and Sehun.

And in a matter of three days, they had gone from faint whispers to a simmering cauldron – people talking about seeing them together  _really_ late, about seeing them … _cuddling_ , about how someone had seen the clothes Duizhang was changing out of after practice, in the locker rooms, and they clearly had ‘O.S’ monogrammed on them.. Finally, things had come to a boil yesterday evening, and a delegation comprising of almost the entire club, had come up to Bo Xian and him as they were clearing out the practice room. Worried about Duizhang, about the club, about how the timing couldn’t have been any worse, he’d pretended he didn’t know anything – instead, telling them it couldn’t possibly be true, what proof did they have… Brusquely telling them it was all totally unfounded, and that they were imagining things..

That’s when it came out that one of the third years, who apparently lived nearby, had found out that Duizhang was  _staying_  with Sehun.  And that was the moment he realised he couldn’t protect Duizhang any longer.

 He couldn’t hide the truth any longer.

His heart felt like it was being wrenched bodily out of his chest – he knew what was coming..the boys would tell people – their parents, Shifu…the teachers would all find out immediately, and the entire student body would know sooner (if they didn’t already..) it would blow up huge, they’d probably get kicked out, Duizhang and Sehun, at the very least – and their parents!! Chan Ye knew Zitao’s parents, from a dozen school functions, and PTAs, and even though it was just a nodding acquaintance, he could imagine how they’d take it…

 

They couldn’t!!!

He knew these kids…they were all pretty good, right, they were all decent, good kids… They  _couldn’t_ …

Maybe he could convince them to keep it quiet..maybe if he asked them to not let it get out, if he begged them…if he could persuade them to just let him and Bo Xian talk to Duizhang privately, maybe ask him to resign quietly, and convince them to be satisfied with that.. To keep their peace, if, say, Duizhang agreed to leave the club voluntarily…. He knew it would take some doing – he could imagine how…. _disgusted_ , how utterly revolted they must be – deep down, he could understand that - having to spar together all the time..sharing the locker room…deep down, he knew he couldn’t blame them for reacting like this… maybe the only reason he wasn’t disgusted about it himself was just ‘coz of his friendship with Duizhang, maybe he would’ve been on the other side too, if it had been someone else..if it hadn’t been Duizhang –

But it was…it  _was_ Duizhang, and therefore, he couldn’t, whatever happened, let the truth get out beyond these halls!!

He felt  _sick_ , it was all so awful – more than anyone else, he and Bo Xian had been right there, right beside Duizhang, every step of the way…he’d seen everything he’d struggled through for two whole years, the way he’d thrown his heart and soul and everything he was into the club, into building it up into what it was now.. how he pushed them all, and how he pushed himself even harder - staying behind, however late it took, to train, usually all by himself, for  _hours_ after the rest of them had gone home…how he’d smilingly give up his holidays to help any of them with their training, readily agreeing to coach anyone who asked for it, no matter how much he had on his plate… how he was always such a perfect leader, kind and gentle, even when he was being strict about something… How much this club, how much they all, and everything they’d accomplished, meant to him….

They’d all loved him so much…but now…

He couldn’t even imagine how he’d feel…if they..asked him to leave.. he couldn’t  _bear_ to think about it…

 

But it was better than the alternative. Whatever happened…he had to do whatever he could to help the person who’d done so much, given so much for them.  

 

Next to him, he could feel Bo Xian trembling…he knew he must’ve come to the same conclusion too.

 

 

Steeling himself, Chan Ye drew a long breath, fighting down the waves of nausea and opened his mouth – but right then, one of the third years, Terrance, stepped forward. ‘We’ve all been talking about this – and…we didn’t include you guys coz you’re Duizhang’s classmates, right… But now we figured you’d find out about it anyway…’

 

‘And we wanted you to hear it from us first, Chan-Ge!’ Minsoo cut in

 

‘Mm.’ Terrance nodded, and continued. ‘I know you two are senior to all of us in club..but I’m still your Elder..and... the thing is..’

 

 

‘If either of you make trouble for Duizhang, you’re gonna regret it!!’ Wu burst out.

 

 

 

For a long beat, Chan Ye and Bo Xian gaped at them, completely blanked out with shock.

 

 

The group of boys had stepped in close, forming a semi circle around them, and threateningly huddling forward, as they pinned then both in.

‘You  _can’t_ think badly of Duizhang because of this, Chan-Ge, Bo Xian-ge!! There’s nothing… _wrong_  with it, right?? Everyone has the right to make their own choices, right?’ Minsoo bleated pathetically, trying his best to ‘convince’ them

‘And you can see how happy he’s been lately, can’t you??’ Lee pushed himself through the crowd, so close, he was almost nose-to-nose with Chan Ye, his hands fisting as he earnestly pleaded. ‘You can see it, right, Duizhang’s been so relaxed even with the tournament coming, he’s been really…really..’

‘G _lowing_ ’ Wu finished for him. ‘Well…even though I know Sehun-ge’s pretty awesome, I still don’t think he’s good enough for  _our_   _Duizhang_ …but even so, we  _have_ to protect this, don’t you see??!!’

‘Yeah!!’ Minsoo nodded emphatically. ‘Even if its..unusual…. it’s what they chose, it’s what Duizhang wants, and c’mon, in this day and age..we..really  _can’t_  get all weird about it, right!! Like..Elton John!!’

‘Personally, I don’t care what your feelings are about two guys dating.’ Kevin, another of the Third Years interrupted, deadpanning in his usual monotone, his unemotional, level-voiced style. [which, given his enormous bulk, and the way he could easily snap any of them in two with one hand, was a lot more intimidating than it sounds] ‘But if you do  _anything_  to hurt Duizhang, you’re dead meat.’

‘Kevin…’ Terrance sighed, reaching to pat his arm – but turning to Chan Ye and Bo Xian resolutely again. ‘He’s not wrong…Like I said, we know you’re our seniors in club – but we’re prepared to face the consequences’

All of them – the entire crowd – all nodded emphatically, or called out ‘Yeah!’s and ‘That’s Right!’s…as Chan Ye looked around, all he could see was deadly determination.  At that point, they couldn’t help it any longer – both he and Bo Xian had burst out into wild laughter, their extreme relief making them almost hysterical, as, in that awesome moment, they’d felt the weight of the secret they’d been keeping vanish into thin air.

 

It had been a moment he knew he’d never forget as long as he lived – something he’d always think of as a miracle, an instance when he’d seen something magical happen in front of his eyes.

 

 

 

 

Remembering it had a fizzy happiness bubbling through him even now, and, making sure Wu knew not to push him again, he turned to the next table, complaining loudly as he asked them to pass the arancini, and not hog it all yourselves, you pigs!!

 

The meal was blow up, drag down, explode in nirvana type fun – everyone was joking and laughing and playing around at the top of their lungs, even seated at separate tables, it was one big party, with food flying [literally, bread rolls being chucked from one hand to the next more than once], and the resulting little fights as people got hit in various parts of their anatomy with freshly buttered slices, the chefs yelling at them from the kitchen, and the boys yelled snarky comments back.. Hiro San kept urging them to eat, eat more, to try this, that, or the other, interspersing these directives with the most hilarious jokes, mimicking last year’s Bo Xian, who’d insisted on making up words, the most popular of which had been ‘kkaebsong’, and Chan Ye, who’d decided to spend three entire months in the thickest pair of spectacles he could find, in a bid to impress some chick he’d met in the library, making the boys roll about in laughter, while Cici hovered around like a motherly butterfly, making sure no one’s plate was empty, or glass unfilled. Sehun fit right in – he still couldn’t keep everyone’s names and faces straight, but he’d heard loads of stories about them from Tao, and he was already well up on all the inside jokes and running tropes, so it was no difficulty for him to quickly come to see them as being as much his friends, as anything. And as strange as it was, they all treated him like…well, like  visiting royalty, while at the same time including him in all their nonsense – pulling him into every conversation, and eager to get his opinion on everything,  involving him in every little prank, while being 100% courteous to him, everyone almost embarrassing in the way they kept trying to give him the best of everything, making sure he got served first….and right next to him, Tao was lounging against his chair…secretly reaching for his hand under the table every now and then, for a little squeeze, or simply to graze their fingers together…

He couldn’t help the thrill that ran through him the whole time, for the duration of the meal, lighting tingles up and down his spine. It was the first time he was seeing Tao like this, in his group, with his club mates – it was just….incredible. They literally  _worshipped_  his Taotao, hanging onto his every word; looking over at him out of the corner of their eye everytime they made a joke, to see if He was laughing along; even when they teased him, their eyes shone with their admiration; they wanted his approval on everything, however small, and whenever the talk turned to Wushu, as it very frequently did, everyone fought to be the one to retell the stories of their ‘Duizhang’s’ previous presentations….

And on their part, the club was more than astonished at their Duizhang that night – in all the time they’d known him, they’d never known him to be like this – this… _mellow_ , this playful and funny, teasing all of them, and wholeheartedly joining in everything, goofing around, and acting silly, it was like he had magically transformed into the most sociable, exuberant one out of them all, and while Duizhang was always the coolest, now he was the most fun too – and like Lee whispered to Minsoo later that night, as they walked home together – if this was the difference he could make, they  _totally_ needed to sign Sehun-Ge up for their club!!

Even his ‘Duizhang-ness’ as they called it, was different today – instead of firmly giving them orders, he was..kinda _….fussing_  about them, making sure they all ate properly, and cutting them off when they had too much lobster spaghetti, making sure no one gave Kevin anything with parsnip in it, coz he was allergic, and finally giving all of them a  _killer_ last speech,  over plates of the most delectable tiramisu, so that, by the time the party wound up [Tao calling an end to the festivities at 7:00pm, after giving them detailed instructions on not going to bed immediately after the meal, but ensure they got a good night’s rest, etc etc] every last one of them was unwaveringly ready to  _die_  for School and Club if need be, and utterly determined to do their Duizhang proud tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As they walked back together, taking the long route home, they kept reliving the dinner, Sehun recounting something that had happened, and Tao laughing and adding other anecdotes, how someone had done something similar at some point in the past – it was way more fun now that Sehun knew exactly who he was talking about – it was so much  _fun_ , like they were finally living entirely in each other’s worlds; Tao couldn’t imagine anything better than having Sehun meet the kids he was so proud of, showing them off to him – and showin him off to them! He hadn’t missed the way they’d treated him, and he was so chuffed, he could burst – it was so clear they’d all seen how splendid his baby was – after all, they none of them had any other reason to be so friendly, so perfectly welcoming did they? Sehun was just his classmate to them – and that too, not even someone he hung out with at all, as far as they knew…Yet, they hadn’t been able to resist his awesomeness, oh, they’d realised full well how remarkable the person they were sharing a meal with was!! Tao squeezed Sehun’s hand, pulling him closer to wrap an arm around him, as they walked side by side in the cold winter night, the streets almost entirely deserted, and they spoke of a million things all at once… a million things, and nothing at all, loving the experience of sharing everything they thought of, after having spent all that time with the same group, listening to the same conversations – it was the first time; it was such a simple thing.. yet… it felt so good!!

 

 Gradually, they fell silent, as they made their way to Their Spot, at the crest of the little hill, simply holding hands in the darkness, as the lights of the city lay spread out before them, as breathtakingly beautiful now as the first time they’d seen it together, standing right here…Tao still couldn’t believe it sometimes..the way things had worked out between them..the way he’d come to be able to think of this wonderful boy by his side as ‘his’…the way he was so utterly happy, it was frightening, this feeling like he had everything he could possibly want…

 

Sehun leaned closer, resting his head on Tao’s shoulder, and he smiled, the poignantly familiar weight, the tenderly painful smell of his shampoo..

 

‘I’m glad!!’

‘Hmm?’

‘I’m glad you came today!!’

‘Umm!! Me too!! It was awesome to finally meet Taotao’s children!’

Tao laughed, and they set off homewards, Sehun continuing to tell him how cool it had been, joking aside, to meet Tao’s club, everyone Tao spent all his time with – and how nice they all were,  how much fun they were….

 

Even though neither of them said it, they both realised something had changed somewhere – there was no going back to the relationship they’d affected till now…Thinking deeply and rationally about it, everyone had probably assumed they were really good friends, right, first of all, the way they’d invited Sehun, and the way  _everyone_ had accepted his presence there without question.. the way they’d kept clubbing them together, more than once saying ‘Duizhang&Sehun’ like they were some….single entity.. and just…the way they’d spoken to one about the other, like they’d believed they were good friends – so even practically, it was no use pretending they didn’t know each other any longer, was it…

But more than that, it was this feeling that gripped both of them – the  _need_ , not just desire, to share more evenings like this – to be able to go out together in public, and even if it was under cover of being just ‘friends’, it was more than enough – but to be able to freely mix with each other’s groups, at least meet the people who were important to the other, to share friendships – they needed to part of each other’s lives like that

And for the life of him, Tao couldn’t understand why he’d been so set against this..so.. _afraid_ , of even acknowledging their friendship in public – and he whispered so to Sehun, apologizing as he nuzzled his hand – and Sehun laughed, taking advantage of the dark alley they were going through to reach up and quickly peck his boy on the cheek, telling him he’d understood perfectly why he’d been wary – but that he was glad beyond words that they didn’t have to pretend so much anymore.

 

 

 

By the time they got home, almost an hour had passed, and the chill was setting in with a vengeance. While Tao grabbed them both Tees and PJs from his closet, Sehun pulled the covers off the bed, then grabbed the thickest duvet and dragged it to the window. Having added a couple of strategically placed pillows in, he ordered Tao over in his best, most imperiously commanding voice, then preceded to climb over him, and cuddle into his lap, as they talked about this and that….  

It was Tao who touched on Kris, when the conversation about an old Wushu match turned into one about a basketball game they’d played against kids from the next neighbourhood. But hardly had the sentence left his mouth, when he abruptly felt silent – he’d thoughtlessly said it -it hadn’t actually been that long since the whole Kris thing, not really – and for a moment he wondered at himself, so easily saying the name he’d been carefully avoiding all this while; the next he was shocked at the emotion that flooded through him, filling every bit of his being, like something inside him had freed up suddenly and floated safely off a pike.

Sehun stirred uneasily in his lap, twisting about to face him ‘Tao….?’ He called softly, placing his palm flat against his chest, fear gripping him, as the seconds passed, and Tao stayed zoned out. ‘Tao!!’

Tao snapped out of it, his eyes losing their glassy look, and actually  _seeing_  Sehun – and  just as suddenly as the strange silence has set in, it vanished, Tao bursting out laughing, and reaching to pull Sehun close ‘Omg, Hun-ah, I am  _so_ grateful!!’

‘Huhhh??!!’

‘I’m  _soooo_  thankful to Kris!!! Can you imagine….whoa!!’ Tao whistled through his teeth, beaming like he’d just escaped some terrible, terrible fate

‘Zitao. What are you talking about.’

‘Ohh!’ Realising belatedly that he wasn’t making any sense, Tao grinned sheepishly, stroking one finger along Sehun’s jawline, the look of delirious happiness not quite leaving yet. ‘You know the first time we met?’

‘Huh??...like…….near the water?’

‘Yeah!! I haven’t told you this, but I’d just had…kinda….a fight with Kris..’

‘Yeah?’ Sehun clicked his tongue, smirking ‘You think I hadn’t figured that out?’

‘Hmm? Oh! Oh of course..’ Tao chuckled, still on cloud nine, reaching to kiss Sehun – but he swatted his hands away, holding them firmly away from him. ‘Explain first.’

‘Well, think about it, Hunnie!! If that hadn’t happened, I’d never have been there at that time, and I’d never have seen you, and we’d never have…’ Tao laughed again, sheer joy sparkling all around him in almost palpable waves. ‘If he hadn’t done that, I’d never have…and  _we’d.._ never…have..’ shuddering, he wriggled his hands free from Sehun’s, to wrap them around him, and this time Sehun let him, starting to giggle himself, relief surging through him. ‘You idiot!! Besides…

Besides, we’d still have ended up being classmates!’

‘Well…yeah…but we probably wouldn’t have started talking..or….ya know, ended up hanging out or anything, right?? If you think about it…’

For a moment, Sehun  _did_ think about it – the way his heart had started thumping like crazy the instant he spotted Tao in that class, the excitement and happiness that had pounded widely through his veins, so he could hardly speak, hardly  _think_  – he’d been utterly devastated till then, realising he’d made an unbelievable mistake – after everything, waiting and longing and searching for him so long, he’d actually ended up doing it with him – and it felt worse that agony afterwards, thinking he’d never see him again..actually touching him, actually being held by him, it had only served to exponentially increase his  desire, his feelings for him…

Slowly, his lips tugged into an indecipherable smile. ‘I wouldn’t be so sure….

Well, anyway, Taotao…I haven’t asked before…but…. Tell me about Kris?’ He continued, turning gleaming eyes up at him, just as Tao was about to question his earlier, cryptic remark.

So Tao did – explaining everything, how he’d seen Kris around, fallen for him…finally worked up the courage to ask him out, being accepted…and how he’d ultimately been..betrayed…

But he spoke without rancour, almost like he was describing something that had happened  eons ago, having to backtrack to correct himself often, when he said something wrong, having genuinely forgotten..there was no emotion clinging to his words, such a palpable lack of any sort of undercurrent, that even Sehun felt relieved just listening to him – he knew full well that he’d knowingly tried to use the whole ‘rebound’ thing to his advantage, and he knew he’d do it the same way, if he had to do it again – but he’d always worried, deep down, that one day Tao’d wake up and realise he was only with him as a reflex, knee jerk reaction to the Kris thing – but as Tao spoke, he felt an almost rapturous elation fill him – somehow, miraculously, that wasn’t going to be the case! He could easily sense the respect in which Tao still held Kris, even after what he’d done… but he could also easily see how platonic that feeling was, and how Tao’s only real emotion regarding the whole business  _was_ indeed how ecstatic he was that it had allowed  _this,_ them, to happen…

Reaching up, he cut Tao off midsentence, by kissing him, throwing everything he had into it, trying to show him how happy he was, how grateful he was, too, to him, for being his.. how much he loved him – and somehow, as their lips met, and their tongues tugged and swirled and rubbed together, it was like he could understand, like he could read everything Sehun was feeling, and he was telling him he felt the same way….

Slowly, they broke apart, pecking each other gently, again and again, lighter and lighter… then Sehun snuggled down, burrowing into Tao’s chest. ‘So..you don’t regret it?’

Tao smiled, kissing the top of his head. ‘Of course, I felt heartbroken at the time – I mean, he should have done it differently, ya know? Talked to me about it, instead of letting me find out like that…but otherwise? Not a chance!!!’

Sehun smiled smugly, and laid a kiss to the base of Tao’s neck, and the conversation slowly turned to other things, a silly stupid conversation where they kept jumping randomly from topic to topic, and generally goofing off, [which ended abruptly when Tao, wanting to get a little bit of exercise in before bed, had Sehun sit on his feet and count off while he did a couple of sets of sit-ups – Sehun had decided that ‘counting off’ meant he had to kiss Tao every time he came up, and Tao valiantly struggled through till No.24 – then he couldn’t any longer, and the situation quickly devolved into something entirely different] [But like Sehun said afterwards  - he  _did_ get his exercise after all]  till the clock struck 9, and they turned in, crawling into bed and cuddling together.

Lying this close in the silence, Sehun could feel Tao’s heartbeat through his entire body – so it wasn’t a wild guess when he whispered against his skin, ‘Nervous?’

‘Mmmm.’

‘You’re gonna do awesome, you know that!!’

‘Well…well, yeah..i guess…’

‘Hey!! You did everything you could, right, you practised as much as possible, right?’

‘Yeah….’

‘So there's nothing more you could have done to prepare, dumbhead, so all you have to do is trust yourself tomorrow!’

‘Yeaahh…’

Sehun sighed, realising talking wasn’t working . ‘Hey. The only reason we’re in bed this early is coz  _you_ have to go early tomorrow, I’m not sleepy in the slightest. So unless you stop being an idiot, and fall asleep within the next five minutes, I’m gonna start..  _entertaining_  myself, ya know what I’m saying?’

‘Sehun!’ Tao burst out laughing. ‘Baichi!! I can’t – ‘

‘ _Five_ minutes, Zitao.’

Tao laughed again, feeling immensely better, and still giggling, wrapped his arm around Sehun to spoon him, burying his face in his neck, as he closed his eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sehun jogged the last few metres to the school gate. ‘Ah, Dammit!!’ He’d woken up at 5:00am to see Tao off, of course, pressing the little charm he’d gotten him into his hand as he left, and yelling ‘GOOD LUCK’ all the way down the road – but then he’d somehow managed to fall back asleep with the result that –

 

‘AH  _Crap_!!

HEEEYYYYY

 

HEEEYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!’

He burst into an all out run, just as the big yellow bus rolled out – luckily, Lu  Han, sitting near the window at the back, saw him and called to the driver to stop

‘Thank you! Sorry, sorry, thanks!!’ Bowing, Sehun clambered up, bowing to Chen Laoshi who was sitting in the front, near the driver, and then made his way to the back, to squeeze into the seat next to Lu  Han and three boxes of flags. The others had thankfully been there on time, and loaded up all the boxes – as the bus set off again, Sehun quickly did a count, and mentally sighed with relief as he made them to be 12… - but wait!!! The banner??!!!

‘Ohmygod, stop!!’ He jumped to his feet, his cry audible even above the raucous singing from the excited bunch.

‘Hmmm??’

‘What??’

‘Sehun, whats up?’

‘Sexiong?’

‘The banner!! We forgot the banner, just wait, I’ll run n get it, just gimme a minute – ‘ he was already running to the front of the bus as he spoke

‘Sehun! Come back, we didn’t forget it!!’

‘Huh?’ he turned back to see Lu  Han laughing and waving him back ‘It’s in the other bus’

 

‘Huhhh?? What ‘other’ bus??’

Everyone burst out laughing at his befuddled expression, and Xiumin helpfully strode forward, grabbing his collar, and pulled back to his seat again.

‘Dude.’

‘Duude’

‘So many people turned up, they got out another bus – ‘

‘Yixing Laoshi and half of them went ahead already’ Lin draped herself over the back of her seat, to explain

‘Your precious banner is with them’ Lu Han cut in, busy adjusting the window just so, so he could check his reflection in it, as he adjusted his snapback

‘We were waiting for you, ya know!’

‘Umm, that’s right!! Then someone said you were with the Wushu club…’

‘Yeah, Sexiong!!! We thought you must’ve gone with them!!’

‘Huh?? Oh…oh, no no,that was last night,  I just went out to eat with them…’

‘What? You went out to eat with them…yesterday?’

‘Wait…you mean the pre-competition dinner???’

‘Urrmm…yeah…how do you guys know about that..’

‘What do you mean, how, it’s always been tradition for the captain to take the team out before a major competition – it’s always been observed…its almost sacred, and it’s supposed to be  _just_ for the club..’ Mai pronounced frostily from the front, still annoyed that she had to put up with all  _these_ people, but wanting to go see Tao bad enough to bear it [though no one said she had to be happy about it!!]

‘Umrmmm… is that so….’

‘It’s soo unfair, Sehun!!! How did you become so close to them suddenly??’

Rina pulled Yuuna back to add her pout ‘Yeah!! How did you become so close to  _Zitao_  so suddenly??!!’

‘Ehh??? Ahh….just….’

Above his head, Lu  Han sniggered, and shrugged at Xiumin’s ‘Help-him-out’ look, signalling he couldn’t do anything – and even if he could, he wouldn’t, this was too much fun

‘Yeah, Sehun…How  _did_ you get so close to them suddenly?’ He drawled, lounging back in the seat expansively, while Xiumin sighed and shook his head

 

‘Uurrmmmm….’

Luckily, after about another 20 mins or so of playing Bait The Hun, everyone grew bored of it, and turned instead to singing picnic songs, and campfire tunes, interspersed with the School Anthem; and making up goofy little games to pass the time

 

 

 

 

 

Drawing a deep breath, Sehun stepped off the bus, and fell into line as Chen Laoshi herded them to the corner, where Yixing Laoshi was waiting with an even bigger crowd – as they set off for the gym, making their way to the tiered seats in the concrete risers that lined the hall, Sehun handed out the little flags and posters to everyone, and even he was shocked when he realised there were almost 40 of them, put together!! Tao was going to be  _so_ surprised!! He couldn’t stop beaming as he commandeered a bunch of first years to help tie the giant banner to the railing, before taking his seat right in the middle of the first row.

 

The gym was enormous, with multiple cordoned off areas, each with a wide blue mat in the centre, and lined by tables for the judges. A giant scoreboard on the opposite wall was proclaiming the list of participants, in the order they’d be performing, under the heading ‘TAOLU’, next to a digital clock and timer. Each mat also had a smaller board, with the names of the participants who’d be performing on each individual one – the earlier rounds would all be held simultaneously, till the final three Sanda rounds, which would be held on the big, raised, central mat. Luckily, all the guys from their school entering for the Taolu would be performing on the same mat – which made it easy to take up their place here.

As more and more people streamed in to the gym, all bearing their own banners and matching colours, taking up their places around the hall, Sehun couldn’t quell the excitement and anticipation – and growing nervousness, joining in with the others as they cheered and chanted. A school who’d taken up position to their left, all wearing matching bandanas, and dark green shirts, had a contingent even bigger than their's – ‘That’s No.7 High’, Xiumin leaned in to yell in his ear. ‘They’re really strong, they’re the main competition for us.’ Sehun’s stomach roiled dangerously, as the huge guy leading the crowd took up station in the front, with a drum, which he started beating rhythmically, leading them in some sort of chant.

‘Ahh!! We Should Have Got A Drum Too!!’ Lu  Han yelled, his muscles straining in his throat as he fought to be heard above the noise. Sehun nodded worriedly – dammit, after preparing so much, he wasn’t even –

The next instant, he spun around in shock, as every single person of the 40-strong group behind him started chanting themselves – yelling their School Anthem with so much spirit, they even managed to drown out the drumming. Relieved, Sehun jerked his head gratefully at everyone – who all smiled at him, flashing him grins, as they kept chanting without a pause. Grinning himself, Sehun joined in.

 

 

By the time the opening ceremony was done, involving a number of old men making boring speeches, and the judges had officially taken their places, though, the butterflies were back in Sehun’s stomach. A cold voice over the PA called out the names of the first participants, and on mats across the hall, people walked up to take their places, bowing formally to the judges, and the audience on all four sides, before falling into their routines, without further ado.

The guy on the mat in front of them was tall and well built, handsome in his dark green Zhong Shan style outfit – and as he bowed, the yells from the No. 7 High School were deafening.  He then began  - and immediately, there was total and utter silence, as he lowered and raised one hand deliberately, while holding the sword in the other loosely – for a beautiful moment, before bursting into a fury of movement, slicing and turning and dashing, leaping incredibly high, and landing in splits, his every angle sheer perfection, stopping abruptly to hold a pose, that had the crowd cheering and hooting, before turning into molten fire again, captivating the crowd so spell bound that every woosh as the sword sliced through the air could be heard clearly.  Every now and then, the guy holding the drum set of a chant, in which everyone – even a lot of people from other schools, joined in, yelling ‘Jiayou!’ Finally, with a snap, he came to attention, his sword held at his side, he bowed again, flashing a little smile as the crowd went wild, and turned to leave the mat. Sehun craned his neck, to see the board flashing ‘Wu Bin [JS]’ one last time, before being replaced immediately by ‘Terrance Zhao [QS]’

As the their own Third Year walked onto the mat, he visibly started – it was the first time such a thunderous roar had rung out for him, and it took him a moment to get his poker face back, as he bowed to the judges, then the crowd, turning last to face them, his eyes widening as he straightened, only to see the giant banner, and the huge group, all of them waving flags with the school emblem on them – or holding little runners that said ‘FLY ZHAO!!!’ while they all yelled, ‘TERRANCE ZHAO, JIAYOU!!’

Fighting to hide a pleased smile, he took his stance with his long spear, before, indeed,  _flying_  into action, moving it around so rapidly your eye could barely follow, crouching down and then launching himself up, twisting in mid air, before setting off immediately into a series of high kicks and twists, whirling his body up and down the mat, while snapping the spear about in the most intricate patterns, thrusts and jabs.

By the time he finished, and stepped off the mat, the beads of sweat were standing on Sehun’s forehead – he’d been yelling and cheering nonstop, fervently, coz apart from School Spirit – even if it had just been one meal, he’d spend enough time with Terrance to know he was a real stand up guy, and he really wanted to see him succeed – and from the scowl the No. 7 dudes were levelling at them, he hadn’t done so bad at all!

Two more guys from other schools performed next, both of them using Taijiquan [Tai Chi, or shadow boxing], which meant their routines were longer, around 3 mins each [the sword, Jianshu, Spear, Qiangshu, etc were limited to 1 min 20 sec each] . As the last guy stepped off,  the scoreboard cleared off the caption ‘Michael Jai [TJQ]’ to replace it with ‘Huang Zitao [DS]’, for Daoshu, or broadsword, and Tao stepped up to the mat.

While one part of his mind was reeling with how utterly  _gorgeous_  his boy looked, in his black ChangQuan uniform, holding a broadsword in one hand, adorned with brilliant crimson tassels that glinted and sparked under the big lights, most of Sehun just felt  _sick_  – he was so nervous, the butterflies in his stomach had turned into a stampeding wildebeest herd, and he felt frighteningly like he was about to hurl any moment. Around him, he could hear the moment of utter silence while everyone took in the same sight that held him enthralled – the next, the loudest cheer yet rung out through the entire gym, everyone shouting ‘TAO TAO TAO’, even people from other  _corners_ of the gym, and more’n a few of the NO 7 people; he felt Lu  Han press a flyer into his hand with Tao’s name emblazoned on it – but he couldn’t join in, just squeezing his eyes tightly, peering out through the tiniest possible crack, as he fisted his hands, and stuck them into his stomach, while in front, Tao bowed to the judges, then turning and bowing in all directions, saving their side for last. Terrance must’ve told him about the crowd, coz he wasn’t shocked – only flashing a rather cheeky grin at them while he straightened up, setting off everyone into squeals, the girls jumping up and down behind Sehun. Just as he was about to turn to start his routine though, his eyes sought out Sehun’s and held – their gazes melding for a split second – and he sketched the faintest of winks right at him.

Sehun burst into a surprised giggle – his face quickly heating up, as the sick fear was suddenly replaced by exhilarated anticipation, and he leapt to his feet, his voice rising above all others’ as he joined in the cheering. 

 


	20. Chapter Nineteen.

Tao moved to the centre, his moccasin clad feet in their embroidered leather seeming to pad dangerously over the mat, as he turned, and raised his sword, holding it at an angle to his chin. All traces of laughter had disappeared, all cheerfulness gone, as his eyes narrowed with concentration. It was like some switch had flipped on inside of him suddenly, somewhere deep, and fundamental and primal - An almost palpable miasma of power and…actual _menace.._ swelled and radiated off of him, wreathing about in ruthless serpentine coils so overwhelming, the crowd seemed to collectively hold their breaths, everyone falling sharply silent…Sehun’s throat seized – in that moment, suddenly, it seemed so totally unreal that this person standing there would be _his Taotao_ \- it couldn’t be, it was a complete stranger, someone so intense and _deadly…there was_ _no way_. _.._  but even before the unease could coalesce fully, with a speed that almost blurred him, Tao spun around right in the middle of the floor, like the striking viper he threatened to be, his sword thrusting as he moved seamlessly into a complicated jump, whirling about in mid air, his whole body completely horizontal with the ground for an incredible, beautiful second, in one perfect arrow straight stroke with his sword – all around Sehun, the silence split as a giant roar cheered out in response, the shouts shattering the air – but it was all muffled to him, like his world had turned into a silent movie, his skin reverberating  with the screams he couldn’t hear, his eyes burning up – but he couldn’t blink, he _had to_ …. _had to_ _keep watching not missing a nanosecond_  as Tao exploded into a veritable fury of _lethal_ movement....he couldn’t even imagine…

_ He’d never thought his Tao could be like this..and… _

It was like he was at the bottom of a pool, the softly suffocating weight of the water pressing into him, and locking him with Tao in some weird reality where nothing else existed.. his heart resonating in his throat to each turn, each twist, every snapping flickering movement

Tao swivelled diagonally, before leaping up, turning backwards in mid spin as his legs scissored, one after the other holding a ‘V’ pattern – then again and again, to the end of the mat, before slicing back..everytime he landed, the thud of his feet echoed through Sehun, like an implacable, insistent bass line, and his veins pounded in reply…Stepping up as he turned and made his way round the periphery, whirling through thin air so quickly, his body seemed to make perfect circles, while all the time he swirled his sword, somehow giving the impression that it was forming flawlessly concentric spheres around him, in all independence - before landing in a twisted crouched stance on the mat, that had a fresh outcry ringing through the hall…. Desperately, Sehun clenched his fists, squeezing tighter as only the vaguest sensations strung through his arm, hardly able to feel his nails biting into his flesh, as Tao rose to his feet. Straightening up, embracing the most exquisite stillness for a long moment, his body elongating gracefully as he held his crossed – leg stance,  he deliberately, slowly, pushed his sword through its forms, down along the length of his body, following it intensely with a fiery gaze – _… He was so..damn…gorgeous…like a….. a warrior god….impossibly…_ \- But even before Sehun could finish the thought, he was off, cutting so violently, yet so fast, the tassels on his sword looked to be immobile- cartwheeling upside down, his legs forming a superb split, a razor sharp line from the tip of one toe to the next, before he turned into distilled lightening again, balancing his sword over one bent arm, then leaping to shear cleanly through any number of invisible monsters with a single fell slice…..flipping vertically to let just the tip of his sword touch the mat, creating the illusion it was supporting his entire body upside down, before rolling forward, tumbling around, his sword slicing back and forth as he somersaulted, shearing left to right even as he came up in a crane-like one footed pose… Twisting the sword around to grip the hilt with both hands he stabbed it backwards with short, rapid thrust, alternating on either side….then leapt into a series of jumps, each with his legs folded at the knees, to reach backwards, repeating the alternating back cuts…without a pause, soaring into a couple of back-to-back tornado twists…landing to run across the mat in a crouched squat, hacking his sword viciously, before throwing his body through a set of rising butterfly kicks…

And then suddenly, just as abruptly as he had begun, Tao was back to the exact same spot, the exact same position holding the exact same stance as when he’d started, freezing in place for a beat, before sliding the sword down to his side, and saluting the judges and the audience, turning to their side to sketch a polite, formal bow, without the slightest hint of acknowledgment, completely deaf to the ear-splittingly raucous commotion....And Finally, only then, as he slowly straightened up, did he relax, his shoulders and spine and face all somehow …. _changing,_ like the totally different person who had been occupying his body had physically vanished…

With a crash, the tumult surrounding Sehun smashed into him, and he leapt to his feet to join the crowd, who were all yelling Tao’s name to a Haka  chant – Lu  Han had an arm around Xiumin’s neck, and both of them were jumping up and down, still waving their ‘Tao’ pennants while they danced some sort of weird jig, he could hear high pitched feminine squeals rising high above the rest, and someone reached over to bang him exuberantly over the back, knocking the wind out of him – but he didn’t care, he had his focus trained solely on the mat below, where Tao had finished bowing to the judges, the announcer calling out something, as the board behind wiped itself clean to flash a new name [Chu Wung, followed by (ND) for Nandao] and he turned to leave, making his way to the edge of the mat, and stepping over – and right then, just as the crowd started settling down in their seats again, and a guy in a blue uniform passed him on his way up, as everyone excitedly fell about talking in ‘whispers’ about how incredible _that_ move had been, or how amazing _this_ kick, right then, just for an instance, Tao turned back to glance at Sehun, a slightly nervous question in the quirk of an eyebrow. And only then did _Sehun_ finally relax, letting out a long, contented breath, and beaming across the hall at his boyfriend, to nod emphatically in reply. A matching grin broke out over Tao’s face, and he pursed his lips slightly to blow an invisible kiss at him, before turning and jogging off to the back  - making Sehun hoot out loud in laughter, and exclaim ‘That _idiot_!!’

‘Omg, Sehun!! He’s _amazing_!!!’ Rina flung herself over him from behind, halfway to tears, so impressed was she – and Suki followed suit, almost gripping him in a chokehold, as they squealed right in his ear, making him wince and shove them off, laughing. Lu Han reached over too, to bang his knee with a fist, excitedly beaming, whispering ‘’ _so_ cool’ over and over, while Xiumin flashed him a double thumbs up….. To his left, the cheer squad [who’d all come in the other bus with Xing Laoshi, rigged out in complete uniform with matching ribbons in their hair], were still throwing their mini pompoms up in a wave pattern, calling a break only when  their captain, Eiri, squeezed her way over to join Rina and Suki, their shrieks forming an enthusiastic symphony – till Yixing Laoshi leaned forward and banged his palm on the seat next to them, glaring daggers as he growled ‘Do you _want_ them to take points off him, because of misbehaviour from the supporters??!!’

‘Hu…’

‘They….wouldn’t…!!’

‘But…??.’

But Laoshi only glared at them all the harder, and the girls fell into a fearfully anxious silence, and gradually everyone else quietened down too, turning to face the mat again, where the new guy was already midway through his routine

Sehun straightened up too, apparently focusing on Wung, following his movements intently with his head swivelling side to side – but that was just pretence. Inside - inside, his blood was still rushing fire hot, trickles of molten sensations spiralling up from the pit of his stomach...His heart pounding  so hard, he nervously crossed his arms above his chest, trying to force it quiet, desperately willing his face to cool..his breathing to calm down..

_ I can’t _ __ believe _Tao is staying here tonight!!_

He’d even watched the videos of Tao at previous competitions – heck, he’d seen him practice _so_ often, he’d seen each of the moves he’d used at least a gazillion times…but nothing, _nothing_ could have prepared him for this...He could never have imagined his fluffy big kitten of a boyfriend suddenly turning into a raging leopard – so really, it wasn’t his fault his whole body was screaming for Tao right now!!

_ Besides…c’mon….i’m sure _ __ anyone _would start having fantasies of being…stabbed..by him right now, right!?_

Uncomfortably, he shifted in his seat; resolutely keeping his eyes trained at the performer, nervously making sure none of the others got a direct look at him…

By the time the Taolu rounds had been completed, it was mid afternoon. All seven from their school – Wu, Lee, Chou, Chan Ye and Wang having joined Terrance and Tao, had put up respectable performances, ranging from Wu’s passable one, with only a few minor misses, to of course, Tao’s routine, that, at least in Sehun’s opinion, had remained completely unmatched…But the number 7 kids had done good too; while not particularly inspired [Sehun thought], they had been incredibly consistent and solid… especially the first dude, Wu Bin, who’d been unfortunately brilliant….And then there was that one independent-entry guy, whom Xiumin had dragged him off to watch on a mat at the other end of the hall, a Shun Yan, who had been..frankly _mind blowing_ , dressed in a red and yellow tiger striped suit, weaving his sabre-like sword with deadly precision, as he moved even faster than Tao had….

The announcer stepped up onto the central mat to declare the Taolu formally finished, bidding everyone turn their attention to the giant screen, where the results would shortly be displayed, and the wildebeest herd re-apparated fully formed in Sehun’s stomach. He clenched his hands together, bringing his knuckles up to his lips.. trying to ignore the way his insides were scorching themselves on acid, fuming a sick, burnt taste onto his tongue.. _Suffocating_ …Rina leaned forward to say ‘My heart is beating _so_ fast’ in a loud stage whisper, and he nodded in reply, his constricting throat leaving no room for words…only lifting his head momentarily to smile a thanks at Lu Han who’d reached to pat his knee sympathetically, then bending down again, squeezing his eyes shut painfully tight, holding his breath….

The seconds seemed to be an eternity, the silence smothering, making his ears ring harshly…

Suddenly, he heard a sharp gasp from his left, from Lu Han, a ragged intake cleaving the stillness impossibly loud, before it was abruptly cut off by what sounded like his hand slamming against his mouth. Sehun’s heart plummeted, the bottom dropping out of his chest _FUCK…._

_ NO!!! – _

_ Not..after everything, nonoNO it can’t… _

The disappointment was a physical pain slicing through his insides, and he slowly opened his eyes, gingerly, carefully, like the shards of glass grating against them were real - only to instantly snap them closed again in reflex the next moment, from the sheer onslaught of noise that exploded out of the blue - before the _meaning_ of the yells punched through to him, and he leapt up, frantically turning to the board - sure enough… it was there….. _fuck fuckfuckfuck he hadn’t even dared, ohfucckk_  - in blazing yellow light, there it was – HUANG ZITAO – right at the head of the table, right at _the top_ \- followed by columns titled QM, OP and DD detailing his scores, under Quality of Movements, Overall Performance, and Degree of Difficulties, with 4.03/5, 2.07/3 and 1.09/2 leading to a total of 7.19/10 – placing him above _everyone else,_ right above Shun Yan, who’d gotten a total of 7.12, and Wu Bin, who’d grasped a total of 6.97 – unable to even take it in, Sehun ran his eyes madly over the list, adding the numbers over and over in his head, calculating the technicalities, faults, adds, everything, coz he just _couldn’t_  - ‘ _He_ _did it_ , Sehun!!!!’ Lu Han’s yell cut through his fog, and Sehun turned towards him blankly – seconds before half the crowd flung themselves bodily on top of him, everyone yelling and cheering, someone – probably Mai, was actually _crying_ and Sehun finally grinned – before bursting out in such a long, loud whoop his throat burned, leading a giant cheer – then breaking off abruptly to spin around and scan the floor frantically as he suddenly heard a familiar voice from somewhere below. The participants had come out in tight knit groups forming huddles here and there for the results, and his eyes easily found their school – a tangled mass of limbs and cries,  all about their ‘Duizhang’, and Sehun felt tears prickling _his_ eyes, _fucckhe’ddoneit, he’d really done it_ – someone next to him was screaming ‘overall, overall’ in the confusion, and Sehun turned back to the board, to find the second shock in as many seconds – _everyone_ from their school had managed to place in the top 20, Wu ranking 20th, Wang at 13, Lee and Chan Ye tied for 12thand they had _three_ members in the top 10 – Terrance clocking in at 5 and Chou holding down the number 8thplace under Tao at 1st  – meaning they’d _dominated_ the score board, grabbing the top spot in overall team points, placing their school at _Number One overall_ \- Lu  Han was hugging him the next moment, so tight he couldn’t breathe, and Xiumin grabbed him too, and he squeezed them back, screaming exultantly. Out the corner of his eye he spotted Yixing Laoshi and Chen Laoshi shaking hands gravely with each other, and he couldn’t help laughing – when a tap on his shoulder had him facing about in surprise. It was the guy from Number 7, in the green shirt and bandana, who’d been banging the drum and leading the cheering for their rival team.

‘Hu-um, yeah?’

‘Ya know…..Congrats…’ He growled frostily, putting his hand out to Sehun. Grinning, Sehun reached for it, gripping tightly as he vigorously pumped it up and down. ‘You too’ He jerked his head politely [Number 7 had placed second overall]  ‘It’s just the Taolu, though - _we’re_ taking the Sanshou’ the guy pronounced patronisingly, when he managed to get his hand free of Sehun’s enthusiastic grip - making Sehun scoff, and Lu  Han join in, draping one arm around Sehun’s neck as he leaned in ‘You wish!! Our Zitao is gonna destroy you lot _again_!’

‘Huh!!???’ The drummer gaped at them. ‘ _Huang_ Zitao?? But…he only does Taolu..’

‘Muahahha, nope, he’s signed up for the Sanshou too this year’ Lu Han all but stuck his tongue out at the guy, and laughing, Sehun pulled him about, a triumphant explosion of pride ripping through him as both of them turned away from the guy’s suddenly totally unhappy face . Over the tumultuous crowd, a voice cut through the PA, announcing they would be breaking for lunch before picking up the afternoon section, and still grinning, Sehun turned back to the floor, looking for Tao - but the club members had vanished already! _Huh…that was quick, Huang Zitao, you fuckin’ dumbhead…_ Sehun silently cursed, sheer exasperation drumming through him at being denied even a second’s worth of contact - He was _really_ in no condition to be patient _now…_

Somehow strangely seeming to read his mind as he groaned, beating a tattoo against his thigh with one impatient finger,  Lu  Han grabbed his hand, dragging him into the crush as the spectators started moving through to the exit and the rest of their group pushed their way in, falling in behind. Ducking and weaving and unapologetically stepping on toes, Sehun forced his way through the parents and staff and uniformed kids from various other schools, his breathing growing progressively wilder, _he had to get to Tao now, he couldn’t take it any longer…_ At the landing, most of the crowd headed out through the big glass fronted doors, but Sehun kept going down, reaching the Competition Floor, and cutting across it to the side openings that led to the back rooms, only vaguely aware of Lu Han and Xiumin and a few of the others who were only a few paces behind as he burst through the scattered clusters of participants, reflexively springing away from the splashes as some emptied bottles of water over their heads, or swung towels about, moving on autopilot, murmuring ‘excuse me’s’ as he struggled through to the very last room right in the back of narrow locker-lined corridor, with a small sign bearing their school insignia on the door,  where – 

Completely oblivious to the rest of the Club, all of whom yelled greetings to him as he hurtled past them, all of them calling out to him and the rest with their rolling disbelief, ‘You guys!! We had _no_  idea!!’ ‘You came!!’ and ‘What are ya’ll…’s all flying unrecognized past him, as he made his way to the bench where a figure was vigorously rubbing his hair with a small towel - coming abruptly to a standstill, pulling up short helplessly, as Tao raised his head, a slow smile breaking out as he spotted Sehun

Sehun suddenly found he was unable to breathe, his heretofore wildly battering heart seeming to completely stop, as Tao pulled himself onto his feet. The images of what he could do with those arms and legs and fingers ploughed unrestrainedly through his mind, the way he’d looked, the… _oh god, the way he’d moved_ \- mixing intoxicatingly, mind numbingly with the triumph he’dwonhe’dwon _he’dWON_ and Tao’s lips pulled apart in the widest grin as their gazes stayed locked, and Sehun couldn’t move, he was scared if he shifted the slightest inch, he’d end up jumping him right then right there…. Seconds passed in pulsations resonating with this strange, highly charged standoff, as Sehun stood frozen - until the group that had followed him in flooded past, running to shake hands and thump Tao over the back, congratulating him, telling him how awesome he’d been, squealing over him to each other; And the Club members, in their turn, having already fist bumped and hugged and exclaimed with the others swamped Sehun; Minsoo banging his shoulder, going ‘Hyung, I can’t believe it, it was _awesome!!_ ’ and Terrance on his other side retelling the story of how floored he’d been when he’d stepped on the mat, and seen, and _heard_ , them – Sehun joined in as everyone laughed, reaching to shake hands with Terrance, to congratulate him, but he was circumvented, the tall, well built Third Year pulling him forward in a hug, whispering ‘thank you’ in his ear – and Sehun grinned, feeling a strange lump in his throat, as he waved him off. ‘I didn’t do anything – it was _you_ , you were incredible!!!! You were so smooth!!’ Even before he’d finished, Wu had come up to get his share of compliments, the First Year over the moon at having placed in the top 20 in his first big competition, his relief at not having let his seniors and his Duizhang down blatantly wreathing his flushed, lobster red face in the biggest of grins as he cried ‘SEHUN-GE!!! I DID IT!!!’ making Sehun smack him affectionately over the head, before hugging him too…

But out of the corner of his eye, as he laughed and cheered and congratulated all of them, high fiving Chan Ye, and joining in as everyone happily hammered Chou for being ‘distracted’ by one of the judges [a rather sexy lady in a tight dress suit], he couldn’t help being acutely aware of Tao just a bare metre away, being hugged and thumped and congratulated and cheered himself…. Sehun’s eyes were unable to tear themselves away as he bent forward to listen to something Mai whispered, before throwing his head back and laughing, his wet hair glistening  - and then…catching sight of Sehun looking at him, turning to level a stare right at him, over the heads crowding around them, his lips tugging into that teasing smile Sehun had never been able to resist – but now, at this moment when he was already halfway gone, affecting him like never before, the bubbles of excited pride and triumph adding a heady fizz to his desire.. the world seemed to uncannily fall away again, and he was arrested, one hand still grasping Wang’s – Vaguely he heard Chan Ye suddenly start yelling at everyone to get moving, they had to get lunch quickly, there wasn’t that much time before the Sanshou rounds were to start – and Xiumin joined in for some reason, chivvying the supporters too, calling to them to come’n get something to eat quickly….And just like that, before Sehun could realise what had happened, the room was suddenly empty, Lu  Han the last person to evacuate, following Xiumin with a pointed eye roll, and he was left alone an arm’s length from Tao –

Not for long, though; He didn’t know who moved first, but hardly a blink later, they had crashed into each other, Sehun reaching both hands to cup Tao’s face, before fisting his fingers into his hair, their tongues savaging into each others’ mouths..  ‘I _did_ it!!’ Tao squealed into his mouth as they broke away without moving apart, and Sehun grinned, scooting up on his toes to kiss him better, ‘You _DID_!!....Of…course…’ he breathed, his words thick with his lips about Tao’s ‘Was there ever any doubt…’ Tao chuckled, wrapping his arms around his waist to tug him closer, and Sehun wiggled in, pressing his body against Tao’s, rubbing all along his length, _fuck, it felt so different somehow, like Tao’d had suddenly..grown or something.._ The memory of that fire and… _power_ that had flown through him, making him unrecognizable, it was like it was still there somewhere, and it was just… _so hot_ ,he could _feel_ the muscles under his clothes, the taunt and supple tendons that had…. done all that, that had _moved_ like that – just thinking about it had him groaning, moving his hands down over Tao’s shoulders, over his biceps, flexed and bulging as he held Sehun –

The next moment, they sprang apart, their lips making a hilariously squelching sound, as footsteps sounded right outside the door – turning about quickly as Rina poked her head in

‘Sehun?? What are you guys still doing here, come on, we’re getting lunch – and the teachers are looking for you two!!’

‘Errmm..’

‘Right, right, we’re coming’ Tao struggled out, while Sehun blushed and cleared his throat, and they both headed out, Sehun shoving his hands into his pocket while Rina linked her arm through his, placing herself between them, and turning gleamingly pretty green eyes up to Tao. ‘You were _amazing_ , Zitao!’

‘Ohh? Thank you!’ Tao beamed down in reply to her breathy exclamation, pretending he couldn’t see Sehun glaring at him above her head, keeping up the repartee, and blatantly _flirting_ with her for all he was worth, as they climbed the stairs and headed out into the open, _the dick_…

A large tent had been set up in the grounds, to one side of the hall, sometime while they’d been inside. Enticing smells wafted out from the covered dishes surmounting the lines of lit burners that ran along its length, and people milled about, serving themselves, and then hanging about in little circles as they ate… Rina ran ahead, tossing her hair provocatively as she turned to shoot Tao one last steamy glance – making him grin in reply, before hissing in pain, and jerking one foot up in the air.

‘ _Oww, what was that for!!’_

‘You were practically _drooling_ over her, you….you _dick_!!’ Sehun snapped, flicking his hair off his forehead

‘Was not~~’ Tao drawled – before feinting away as Sehun made to kick him again ‘Besides, it wasn’t _my_ arm she was rubbing all over herself - Haha missed me~~ ‘

‘…Ohhshuttup!! It’s not enough that I came _all the way here_ just to cheer for you..can’t even be grateful, the penisbrain, he has to – ‘

Tao burst out laughing, reaching to cuff Sehun playfully over the head. ‘we-ell…she _does_ seem kinda into me – and – ‘

Bickering teasingly, they made their way to the large group over by the water fountain, where everyone from their school was gathered together, some already tucking into heaped plates of noodles and spiced chicken, a couple of cheers sounding as they spotted Tao.

‘Zitao, that was excellent!’

‘Yes, yes, congratulations!!’

Grinning and thanking the teachers, Tao bowed respectfully, before shaking hands with a beaming Xing Laoshi, and being patted on the back by Chen Laoshi, both of whom were eager to discuss his performance with the glowingly proud Shifu, making Tao blush and bow again and again, as they spoke of how beautiful his forms had been, and how he’d _really_ done well…

Grinning, happy and possibly prouder than anyone else there, and satisfied everyone was giving Tao his due, Sehun let Chan Ye drag him off to the serving tent, grabbing two plates and piling food randomly onto one, while carefully selecting salad pieces and half a toasted roll for the other, adding some slices of grilled chicken, and a nice juicy fillet of fish, before delicately balancing a couple of bowls on top, filling one with ice cream and scooping up giant mounds of fruit into the other, topping it off with strawberries, wedges of lemon, cream and honey

‘Sehun! How much are you going to eat!?’ A voice suddenly cut into his deliberations over whether to add a bunch of grapes or not, and he jumped  - hastily managing to steady the wobbling bowls just in time, before they splattered onto the floor, and glanced up in irritation.

‘Huh??’

‘ _Two_ plates?? Seriously??’

Mai huffed in disdain, while Rina laughed, and reached over to pick a cherry from his bowl, popping it into her mouth, before drawling, ‘Let him be! He’s a….. growing boy…’ while winking cheekily up at him – setting Chan Ye off into wild hoots of laughter, making her level an icy stare at him, and mouth ‘Moron.’

‘It’s not….this one’s for Tao’ Sehun cut in pacifically – as much as he would’ve enjoyed seeing them tear chunks out of each other, he didn’t think Tao would be very happy if one of his star members ended up with his eyes clawed out…

‘Eehhh!!’ Rina snapped about, her eyes gleaming. ‘How about _I_ take it to him, you just..go and eat yours Se-xiong…..you must be hungry right?’

‘Why are you starving him?’ Mai questioned crossly, rolling her eyes n ignoring Rina. ‘You didn’t put any noodles.. and just that much bread – ‘

‘Coz he’s performing again!! And it’s the Sanshou….obviously he can’t be _stuffed_ before that’ Sehun sighed, spooning another heaped dollop of honey cream over the fruit. ‘This has like…got a lot of sugar, but at the same time, its light, ya know, so…’

‘Ehh!!’ With another intake, Rina reached for the plate. ‘That sounds really thoughtful…’

‘I’ll bet.’ Mai deadpanned, scowling, making Chan Ye flash her a suspicious look.

‘What?!’

‘…No..nothing..’ He quickly waved his hand. ‘Anyways, what are you guys doing here, I thought ya’ll were…’ He jerked his head towards the crowd that was encircling Tao outside, his voice trailing away.

‘Tchah!’ Rina clicked her tongue. ‘It’s those _annoying_ pests, they’re totally monopolizing him!!’

‘Yeah! We can’t even get through!!’ Eiri came up with Suki and a couple of her cheerleaders. ‘Can’t even get close!!’ One of the girls [Sehun was reasonably sure she was a third year called Tsai] moaned, pouting and twirling her long hair around one finger. ‘ But what’s all this?’

‘ _I’m_ taking lunch to Zitao!’ Rina pronounced, reaching to helpfully place a slice of melon into the bowl Sehun was still holding – making him hiss and yank it away

‘No, no, he can’t stand that stuff!’

‘Huh?? This…?’ Rina blankly looked from him to the slice of melon she had stabbed at the end of her fork.

‘Yeah! He hates melons…look, grab that apple, go on, he likes those – the green one, k’

 

‘Oh-hkay’ Rina raised her eyebrows, but obediently made to pick out one just as he’d directed –while Sehun sighed, turning back…to find the rest of the girls shooting him strange looks, Eiri with her arms crossed in front of her chest. ‘Se..hun…’

 

‘Hmm? Yeah??’

 

For some reason, Chan Ye groaned deeply, shaking his head – Sehun looked at him quizzically before turning back to Suki – who was _frowning_ at him…?

 

‘….you’re really good friends with Zitao, aren’t you!’

 

‘Well… _yeah_ …I mean, we’re in the same class and stuff…’

 

‘ _I’m_ in the same class too!!’ She whined, while Mai snorted, walking off to get her own lunch, like she was washing her hands of the entire business. ‘And I don’t know any of this stuff about him – like what fruit he likes!!??? And how come _you_ of all people do, I’ve never seen you guys hang out or _anything_!!’

 

‘Well…yeah…now that you mention it…’ Eiri interrupted, her voice unusually thoughtful. ‘They asked us formally to come cheer – the club I mean, Zitao’d put in the request to formally invite the Cheer Club… but _you_ were the one who actually got..like, everyone to come, right?? You were the one going on and on and on about it…Plus you made all the flags and signs and stuff….’

 

‘Yeah.... ‘

 

 

‘That’s coz he’s friends with all of us!!’ Chan Ye cut in suddenly, draping an arm around Sehun’s neck. ‘We’re all…really…good friends, the whole Wushu club, ya know..right, Sehun?’

 

 

‘…ermm..yeah…yeah, yeah, sure!’ He raised an eyebrow at Chan Ye’s..really… _exaggeratedly_ friendly upbeat tone, but mentally shrugged and went with it – and within moments, the girls were all smiling easily, like they’d expected something like that all along –

 

‘Oh yeah!! You went to the pre-competition dinner too!!’ 

 

Eiri squealed and rounded on Suki. ‘ _What_??? But that’s..’

 

‘I _know right!!_ ‘ She moaned, grabbing her hand. ‘He actually had the _pre-comp_ dinner with them!!’

 

‘ _Wow_!!’

 

‘Omg, really??’

 

‘Yes!!’

 

‘Wow, I’m so jealous!!!’

 

‘Me too!!!’

 

‘Zitao’s _so hot_!!!!!!!’

 

‘Yeaahh!!!’

 

‘Zhao’s not half bad either…’

 

‘Ehhh??!! Jo, you like _Terrance_???!!!!!!’

 

‘Urrmmm……maybe…’

 

As the girls fell about in louder squeals and blushes, Chan Ye tugged Sehun’s sleeve, nodding towards the exit – and taking full advantage of the opportunity, the boys sneaked their way out

 

‘God, they’re crazy!!’ Sehun giggled, as they stepped into the sun, carefully balancing Tao’s plate on the flat of his hand

 

‘Yeah….’ Chan Ye’s voice held a strangely troubled note, making Sehun glance up at him ‘Whats up?’

 

‘Ermm….Well, Sehun…’

 

‘Yeah?’ He chuckled, jostling the tall, lanky boy with his shoulder. ‘Wha~at??’

 

‘Just…umm…..you guys need to be more careful, ya know!!’

 

‘Huh???!’

 

Chan Ye looked down at his totally bewildered face – and sighed, shaking his head again. ‘Never mind, it’s nothing. C’mon, let’s get Duizhang his meal.’

 

‘You’re weird!’ Sehun laughed. ‘C’mon’ 

 

 

 

Most of the club came up to the stands with them as the announcements started piping out for the Sanshou, detailing the rules, warning the competitors of the faults, and clarifying the fine points about the scoring; and the cheerleaders quickly passed them the signs and ribbon wrapped sticks, setting about instructing them on the cheers they were going to do -  Chan Ye earning himself more than one knock over the head from the suddenly deadly earnest Eiri – they took their cheering _very seriously_ indeed. Only a couple stayed behind in the participants’ area, with Tao, Kevin, Bo Xian, and Minsoo, who were to perform in the combat round, ready to serve as support - equipping themselves with bottles of water and piles of fresh towels, and checking and rechecking the boys’ guards and protective gear. Sehun was the last person to make his way to his seat right in front, trailing behind even the worst of the stragglers, and the kids who were only there under parental duress to watch elder siblings perform, taking what pleasure they could in dragging their feet snail-like over the concrete – he’d really really _really_ wanted to stay behind with Tao, especially for this event, which was [A.] scary enough, without [B.] It being Tao’s first time participating in it. Passing through the locker rooms, he’d spotted a giant contingent of Number 7 people, each looking more than capable of playing catchball with a gorilla, or arm wrestling a grizzly bear…or, ya know, setting up house with one; the drummer dude hadn’t been shooting off his mouth with his confidence in their Sanshou it seemed… Then there was that Shun Yan guy, who like Tao, seemed to be entering both rounds…he wasn’t as out and out ape-like as the others, but there was something…utterly stone cold ruthless about his eyes, and the semi-feline way he moved, making Sehun feel like there was more to the nickname Xiumin had whispered to him, than mere hype – Tiger, he was called….

 

 

The first names were read out, and everyone took up their places on the three mats that were being used for the Sandou, Kevin vs a number 7 guy, Shun Yan facing off against another, and on the left, Tao going up against some dude in an orange outfit. Each mat had a referee and a panel of judges, facing whom the boys were called to stand, on either side of the referee, as he introduced them. As each name was announced, they bowed their fist-palm salute to the Panel, then to the sides, to their individual coaches – Shifu nodding in acknowledgment to both his boys, before the referee called out ‘Yubei!!’ and stepped away, to a corner of the wide blue mat, and the boys turned to their opponents, bumping gloves…

 

The sight of their outfits had sent a spiky chill through Sehun – even though he’d theoretically known it was coming, it was still unbelievably scary to see the mandatory helmets, and chest guards and padding and the big boxing gloves… it all looked waayy too serious…

 

The next moment they were off – as the three referees on each mat called out ‘Kaishi!!’ almost in tandem, signalling the start of the bout, Tao and Kevin started to warily circle about the mat with their opponents – but Shun Yan didn’t wait for any preliminaries, going straight in with a high kick to the Number 7 guy, catching him over the head with the heel of his foot – then swinging about to crash the same foot through his chest with so much force the dude flew backwards, stumbling before landing on his hands and knees, visibly winded as he struggled to his feet before their referee called out thrice – Sehun couldn’t hear, but he knew what he was saying – each hit to the trunk or head with a leg technique was 2 points each; and he’d scored another 2 points for making his opponent fall while he still stood – racking up an impressive 6 point lead in less than a quarter of a minute –

 

But before Sehun could follow that match further, over on the left side mat, the fists had started flying, and gasping in shock, Sehun turned to it just as Tao’s head snapped back viciously – even as the referee called out the single point score his opponent had gotten for hitting his jaw with a hand technique, Tao had crouched down, slicing his foot about, forcing the opponent to leap to avoid it – and then springing to his feet and slamming his foot forward while the guy was still off balance, knocking him sideways – but the guy was good, dammit, twisting his body in an impossibly tight space to avoid falling and landing on one foot, using the momentum from the same spin to crash his other heel into Tao’s thigh – giving himself another point, and making the scores equal [Tao having gained 2 points for his earlier kick]. ‘TAO!!!’  the shout left his throat before he realised it, and Sehun quickly slammed his hands over his mouth – shit, he shouldn’t – if he distracted him now – but then he realised there was no way he could’ve heard him over the cheering and yelling from the whole stadium, and he slowly dropped his hands – before they flew to his mouth again, in reflex, as he winced, watching as Tao’s opponent, managing to grab him in a chokehold, started pounding his head with crackling punches, again and again and again and again.. making Tao’s head snap from one side to the next – _Nonono, NO, omg, Tao, stop, no!!  - it was too much, he couldn’t_ – the next moment, somehow, miraculously, Tao had grabbed the guy about the waist, and twisting about with a strength Sehun hadn’t even imagined anyone could possibly have, threw him bodily away. The dude crashed down near the edge of the mat, wobbling, almost falling off – but managing to struggle up, and they faced off each other again, Tao swiping one glove across his face to wipe the blood away, before putting his fists up…..

 

Suddenly a call of ‘Ting!!’ sounded from the other mat, and Sehun looked over, to see the referee calling over Shun Yan and the number 7 guy to make their final bows and leave –

 

‘Huhh??!! Over???!!!!’

 

‘Umm – if the opponent clearly outclasses you, the coach can  - look’ Sehun pointed out the Number 7 coach to Lu  Han, holding up a sign at the side of the mat. ‘That’s a default plate, if your participant is clearly out of his depth, the coach can forfeit the match…ya know, before he ends up dead or something….’

 

Lu Han whistled through his teeth, a soft long hum, and Sehun turned back to Tao…. He’d have thought he’d freak out even more now, than he had during the taolu – but strangely enough, his heart wasn’t beating one iota faster – if anything, it seemed to be totally still, his breathing was protracted and sluggish, his insides feeling like a glacier had poured itself down his throat…

 

Tao and his opponent seemed to be evenly matched now, exchanging punch for punch and kick for kick – but the other guy was still in the lead, still holding a 6 point lead from his chokehold, and as the seconds ticked past turning into long painful minutes, Sehun could clearly see Tao slowing down, his punches a teeny bit less sharp, coming in just a fraction too late  - his stomach clenched as he took another blow right to the jaw, that had him snapping back with a sickening crunch – _fucknoTAO!!!!!!!!!_ – but then it happened, as he stumbled backwards, he kept going, taking two more steps back – before launching himself into that beautiful twist Sehun loved best out of all his moves, spinning his whole body in mid air, completely air borne, in a straight line parallel to the ground – his twirling legs coming down to crash powerfully against the orange guy’s head, one after the other, with all the force racked up from the twist, and the guy lurched backwards, tottering for a moment – before Tao landed, and swivelling about on the ball of one foot, slammed the other right into his stomach, sending him tumbling over the edge of the mat

 

‘ **YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!** ’ Sehun screamed so loud he couldn’t feel his face, jumping up to his feet with everyone in their group, completely drowning out the referee’s call of ‘Ting!’ signalling the end of the match, as he called Tao and his opponent to the centre, the dude limping slightly as he clambered back up, exchanging places with Tao, to salute Shifu, while Tao bowed to _his_ coach, and then the Panel in turn, before heading out, the calls of ‘TAO’ ringing out through the stands….

 

 

Barely had the cheers died down, and Sehun and gang started settling down again – when they shot up to their feet again, as over in the middle mat, Kevin pretty much knocked his opponent unconscious with an open palmed hit that had him spinning widely off the borders

 

 

 

The next few rounds passed in the blink of an eye, Minsoo tagging out after winning 2 matches, his hand almost crushed by a number 7 kid; Kevin and Bo Xian going up to the final eight, defeating all comers, till their final bout pitted them against each other – it was an impressive match, Bo Xian’s smarts and impeccably clever techniques, vs Kevin’s brute strength and ruthlessness – at least, it _ought to have been_ , in theory, but seeing these two face off against each other had most of the tension spilling out of the crowd, especially the club members themselves, who’d seen this same match up a dozen times at least, and knew exactly how it would turn out – and ‘stead of being a nail biting clash, it just ended up being the most _fun_ few minutes of the entire section, with everyone heckling both the boys at the top of their lungs, and yelling out every bit of utterly unhelpful advice they could come up with, while Xing Laoshi glared at them and mouthed threats in vain… Even when Kevin managed to pin Bo Xian down for the length of two counts, bringing a close to the bout, both of them bounced to their feet grinning; Bo Xian sticking out his tongue to the hecklers under cover of Kevin’s bulk, before they bowed to Shifu and made their way off, poking each other in the ribs just for the heck of it

 

Finally, the boards announced the final four – the semi-final rounds, as it were, Tao facing a Jie Feng, and Kevin going up against Shun Yan. ’Daamiitttt!!’ Lu Han pounded his fist into Sehun’s back. ‘Kevin-ge’s sooo dead!!’

 

‘I know right…that dude’s a monster.’ Standing up, Sehun dusted off his pants, and turned to look down at him. ‘Comin??’

 

‘Hmm?’

 

‘ _Tao!!!_ We’ll get a better view over there, c’mon!!’

 

‘…But I wanna watch this…’

 

‘…’ Sehun stared blankly at him for the longest moment, before sniffing, pointing his nose in the air as he turned around to the rest ‘Oy!! Who’s coming over there??’ He jerked his head towards the other end, and immediately, more’n three fourths of the crowd leapt to their feet. ‘c’mon c’mon c’mon!!’

 

‘Omg, this is sooo exciting’ Rina squealed, grabbing Eiri, and half the cheer leaders followed, linking hands as they made their way through the crowded stands – it was packed now, way more people having come in sometime during the afternoon, with families and schools loosely grouped together along with the participants who had already finished their rounds, and they had to force their way through painfully tight spaces –  by the time they found their way to a couple of empty rows to the left of Tao’s mat, the match was already well underway. Sehun squatted down right next to the railing, bracing his arms against it and almost hanging off, as he watched the contest with his heart in his mouth – Tao seemed to have given up all thought of technique or beauty, wading in and pounding the dude with lightning fast kicks and punches,each one landing superbly over soft tissue, crushing through,before leaping out of the way of any incoming attacks; tumbling down to swipe him off his feet with a well aimed kick to his ankle that had Feng bellowing with pain, and without even allowing him a moment’s respite, slamming into him with a series of pulverizing kicks to the chest that had even Sehun wincing  - before he leapt to his feet howling Tao’s name – it felt _so damn exhilarating_ – this was even better than the Taolu, this Tao…

 

This Tao was like a friggin _animal_ , like a wolf going on rampage and not giving a fuck, so powerful and ruthless and…just…unbelievable; Sehun’s blood roaring through him, clamouring…. He’d seen it happen right before his eyes, Tao getting stronger and stronger and almost… _brutal_ as the matches went on, the stronger the opponent, and the more tired he himself was, the closer he seemed to get to some totally…hot, cavemanish, raw _manliness_ that had Sehun sucking his lower lip so tightly into his teeth he split it open…. Tao was… by this point..he was…just….

 

 

‘ **YEAH!**!’ A triumphant cry spilled out of Sehun as, down on the mat, the referee counted off – ‘eight…nine..TEN!’ and the bout was finished, Tao having annihilated Feng without losing a single point himself – no small feat when you consider Feng was one of the other semi finalists, after all. ‘Ting!!’ the referee called, once he’d gotten Feng back onto his feet, and the two boys exchanged places to salute each others’ coaches, and the judges, before heading off, loosening their head gear, Tao reaching to bite loose the tie on his glove – when he happened to glance upwards, and his eyes met Sehun’s.

 

It was like a cold knife stabbed through his insides – the boy looking at him – his _boyfriend_ , the person Sehun knew better than anyone else on the planet, the person he _loved_ more’n anyone else, looking at him like he didn’t know him from Adam, a callous un-recognition in his glance as he stared at Sehun like he was wondering why a total stranger was cheering for him like that… Sehun’s breath froze in his lips, his voice snuffing itself out in a sudden blast of….fear?? Anxiety?? Whatever it was, it felt too painful to even be real, and his fingers gripped tighter at the cold iron, panic threading through him – he’d been over the moon about Tao’s… _transformation_ …but if that meant he….this.. - the very next moment, like a gust of wind creasing over the surface of a mirror-still lake, like the glassy detachment had never even been there, it fled away, Tao’s eyes crinkling in a warm little smile that had a flooding torrent of fire and relief burning through him, wiping away all memory of the…strange..moment. Sehun beamed down at him, a pout playing in and out of his lips, and Tao chuckled, shrugging as if to say he couldn’t help it, couldn’t resist that tiny pout anymore, and jerked his head towards the back.

 

‘ _Yehet_!!’ Sehun bounced to his feet, turning around to make his way through the crowd.

 

‘Sehun…?’

 

‘Se-xiong, where are you going?!!’

 

‘Nowhere, nowhere, just go back, k… I'll see you guys later!’ sniggering superiorly, he threaded his way out, running the last few metres to the stairs, and pounding down them two and three at a time, as he slid onto the competition floor, and carefully, making sure he wasn’t getting in anyone’s way, jogged through to the back rooms – running right into Tao, _literally_ , at the entrance to the locker room, where he’d been waiting.  

 

‘Whoa- _Tao!I’_

 

Laughing, Tao grabbed his arms, pulling him forward so he wouldn’t fall. ‘Who were you expecting, Jackie Chan?’

 

‘…Well, it definitely would have been more exciting..’ he tossed his hair as Tao hooted in protest, continuing ‘What are you standing here for anyway, let’s go – ‘

 

‘Kevin’

 

‘Hmm?’

 

‘Look!’ Tao turned him around, nodding his head to the mat just a little way off from the doorway they were hiding under, where - 

 

‘ _OWW_!!’ Sehun winced as Kevin took a blow, so strong it made a nauseating crack as he fell, rolling over n over reflexively to avoid the rapid heel drops Shun Yan was throwing out onto the mat, finally reaching the corner where he struggled to his feet, staggering and dropping onto his knees, before somehow lurching up again…

 

‘KEVIN!!! C’mon, ** _defend_**!!!!’ Tao screamed out from behind him, and Sehun tilted his head in surprise at the voice he’d never heard before..the icy cold fear griping him suddenly again – _thatwasn’tTao’svoice, that what if helooked like that again again looked at me like_ – but ‘Man!!’ Tao clicked his tongue, as Kevin took another sickening hit to the stomach, and threaded his arms through Sehun’s, tugging him back against his chest to lean his chin on his head. Sehun almost sighed with relief -  the familiar position, the familiar absent minded way Tao manhandled his body like it was a part of his own – it _was_ Tao after all – Sehun grinned slightly, leaning back further against Tao, pressing his back naughtily against him – It was Tao – but a 110% pure animalistic version, just absolute distilled unbelievably potent male-ness, and even the little bit of unfamiliarity – the feeling of _danger_ \-   was nothing short of utterly arousing….. 

 

 The next instance Tao had pushed him away, bodily thrusting him off.

 

‘Huh!!??? What??!!!!!!!!’

 

‘…. _You_ … _donkey_ I swear to God, don’t come near me!!!!’ Tao growled, trying to inject as much anger into his voice as possible without raising it

 

‘…Huuuuuhhhh….why not….’ Sehun drawled, flicking his hair loftily and trying to hide his grin

 

‘….you know very well why not!!! Goddamit…. _Fuckin shit_ …. you _always_ do that! _Wriggling around,_ like...!!! It’s just…’

 

‘Irresistible?’ Sehun taunted playfully, earning himself another burning glare

 

‘Just you wait, dumbhead, I’m soo gonna getchu for that – ‘

 

‘Oh, I’m counting on it~’ He quipped, making Tao scowl – and then burst out laughing as he continued – ‘unless you wanna step in this way, _Duizhang_ …and I can take care of your little… _problem_ …’

 

‘.........For crying out loud, what am I going to do with you!!’ Tao grumbled, laughing, as he pulled him back to lean against him

 

‘If you’re out of ideas, I have a couple…’ Sehun teased, earning himself a knock over the head with the ‘Duizhang’s’ chin – before said Duizhang bent hastily to plant a slight peck just behind his ear, straightening up before anyone could see, even by chance. With Smug Grin plastered firmly right across the width of his face, Sehun wiggled against him just once more, just to...get a...rise.. out of him, giggling as he turned back to the match, at Tao's darkly muttered curses.

 

 

 

 

‘Ohh!!’  Sehun gasped as Kevin fell over on his side, landing awkwardly over his arm, while Shun Yan bouncing on the balls of his feet, with his fists up, seemingly as fresh and ready to go as he was in the morning – like none of the fights had made even the slightest dent to his seemingly endless stores of energy.  ‘Tao!! Tao why doesn’t Shifu default….this is…!!!’

 

‘He won’t.’ Tao grunted out the words shortly, his throat clogged as he gripped Sehun’s hand so tight his fingers were tingling from blood loss-  but Sehun couldn’t even notice it, not now, when..

 

‘But.. _Tao_ , this is – ‘ He cut himself off, wincing and squeezing his eyes tight as he turned to bury his face in Tao’s shoulder..unable to watch as Shun Yan rounded on Kevin, punching him so hard with each blow that he was literally being flung about, jumping to slam the shin of his leg over his stomach, then following through in the exact same spot with a series of punches

 

‘He _…can’t_ …’ Tao whispered against Sehun’s hair, this time sounding like he was desperately trying to convince himself, like he.. –

 

‘If he calls a forfeit now..it’s like saying Kevin can’t take him on… like he’s too _weak…._ announcing he’s out-classed?! How could he??!!! Kev is…..Kev is _really_ strong, he’s our best, and that’s his… _pride_ … See that?’ Tao pointed their twined fingers at the board – ‘See the 6 points he’s scored? Sure it might not be much compared to Yan’s 14..but it’s the _highest_ anyone has gotten off of him!! To say that he’s ‘outclassed’…. Like saying none of those points are worthwhile?? No..thi – ‘ Tao flinched as a crash sounded through the hall, and Sehun peeked out, afraid to look, but more afraid not to – Kevin was lying in a huddle, Yan bouncing about jauntily at the opposite end of the mat; the referee slamming his palm into the blue as he started counting off –

 

‘….Five. Six…’

 

‘Tao!! Tao he’s not…he’s not moving!!’ Sehun glanced up at him, his eyes wide, and panicking – but Tao’s face was closed off and silent, twisted into an awful grimace, clenching their hands together so tight Sehun couldn’t feel it them at all anymore

 

‘…Seven. Eight. Nine – ‘

 

 

‘YESS!!!’ Sehun hissed, as Kevin – somehow..miraculouslystaggered up, falling over again, before digging his fists into the mat and pushing himself up,doddering, into something approximating a vertical attitude – lurching forward a few steps – and then…oddly… throwing drunken punches into mid air, random, shaky punches, _metres_ away from Yan

 

‘Wha-??? ‘

 

‘Tsss..’ Tao sucked in his breath in a hiss, as the referee stepped up, grabbing Kevin’s shoulder bands and yelling in his face – before moving away and calling ‘Ting!!’, calling the end to the match, with his hand indicating Shun Yan as the winner

 

‘Wha??!!! But..But he got up!!!!!’

 

‘No..he’s…’ Tao slid his hands out of Sehun’s and started off towards the floor – ‘Hun-ah, get the kids from inside!’ He jerked his head towards the lockers, and as bewildered as he was by the inexplicable turn of events, Tao's voice was that which forbode argument, and Sehun did as he was bid, running off to summon Jay and Lee and Terrance who had stayed behind inside….

 

 

 

Shifu and Tao both bowed to the medic multiple times as he left, shaking hands with him again and again, as the attendants rolled the gurney bearing Kevin out through the glass doors  - Kevin had thrown up once when they’d gotten him off the mat, a blood tinged mixture that had frightened even Shifu, before collapsing – mumbling rubbish and incoherently still trying to fight, his ramblings interspersed with apologies to his Shifu and his Duizhang – and Sehun had felt queasy at the terrible look on Tao’s face as he squeezed Kev’s hand and tried to reassure him, gritting his teeth so hard a pulse was ticking in his jaw…

They’d luckily gotten a few minutes respite since the next round was the Final one, and all the judges had to assemble at the Central mat  - otherwise, it was business as usual, such accidents a common occurrence in this world – which Sehun was so damn thoroughly _done_ with – _he couldn’t even bear the thought of Tao…._

Tao, who pushed him away grimly as the trolley with Kevin tucked in disappeared, turning back to the floor with a horrendous determination, and making his way to the back to get suited up like he was off to do actual battle – _nothing he said even made its way into his friggin thick skull, it all fell on deaf ears, seriously, couldn’t he see what had happened, how could he just –_

‘Hun-ah. Go Up.’

‘Huuuhhh???!’

‘Go.’ Tao jerked his head towards the stands, his voice horrifyingly cold and even.

‘Okay, NO. _No way_ ,  are you crazy, first of all you’re actually going through with this, you think I’d stay –‘

‘Sehun.’ For the first time since he'd run off to grab Kevin just as he stumbled off the mat, Tao looked right at him, actually _seeing_ him. ‘Look..’ He sighed, reaching for his hands. ‘I need you up there, ok?..........Watching me..’

‘I can watch you well enough from down here, plus I’d be _way_ closer!’ Sehun sullenly stuck his lip out as far as it could go. ‘I’m not leavin you – ‘

‘Babe..C’mon, it’s not the same..i need you to be up there, in the audience, right in front, ok, not hidden somewhere in the back here… I need to…I just need you to be there, okay? Look – look right there, between Lu Han and Chan Ye – right in the middle, there's a spot – can you get up there, for me?’

‘…………’ Sehun glared at him for a long moment…then sighed and dropped his gaze, bumping his forehead resignedly against Tao’s chest. ‘Ffiiiinnnnnnneee. Fine alright, okay.’

‘Hey.’ Tao smiled suddenly, his usual sweet smile – but somehow not detracting from that terrifying chill, only momentarily shrouding it. ‘Hey. Look, it’s coz I really need to be able to see _you_ too…okay…I know I’m being selfish..but when you’re up there, I can actually catch sight of you…or hear you and – ‘

Sehun snorted. ‘As if!! There's no way you can – ‘

‘Oh yeah??’ Tao sniggered, grazing his fingertips teasingly against Sehun’s chin. ‘Let’s see, the first part, you were sitting in the front row, between Lu  Han and that dude from 7 with the drum – and you basically didn’t even say a word throughout, even when everyone was cheering, you were sitting there like you were trying to learn that laser eye technique, and shredding that flag to pieces...well, you _did_ say my name once during the first Sandou match right, right when - ‘

‘ALRIGHT SHUTTUP!! Gawd, what are you, friggin stalker creep – ‘

‘Hey!!’

Sehun burst out giggling, blushing furiously as he kept right on scolding at Tao – before tossing his head superiorly, flicking his hair as he turned away, to head on up to the stands. ‘I’ll be right there, k’

‘Umm.

Hey.

Sehun. Aren’t you forgetting something?’

‘Huhh?? What?’

‘ _My good luck kiss??_ ’

'Haaaaa????!!' Sehun snapped around – then laughed, shaking his head as he stepped back to quickly lean up and peck Tao over the iips.

‘Good luck.’ He whispered, standing on his toes so their eyes were level.

‘Thank you.’ Tao whispered back, just as softly.

‘Be careful….Taozi, seriously…don’t get hurt.’

‘Umm.’

‘Kill that nut.’

Tao hooted, smacking Sehun lightly on the butt as he turned, calling back the order over his shoulder

‘You got it!’ 

 


	21. Chapter Twenty.

A deathly silence gripped the entire hall, as the two helmeted figures took up their stances on either side of the referee, standing ramrod straight as they looked out onto the crowds, their heads held high, unflinching… like proud gladiators about to fight for their lives, staking their souls on the strength of their fists, to the last drop of blood, to the last burning fibre of their bodies…survival,destruction,life,power – everything crashing into their own hands with each heartbeat…. Under their feet the powdery fluff of the large central mat gleamed softly, where pools of pristine white light bathed them from the rows of little bulbs that lined the edges – at some time Sehun hadn’t even noticed, but at some point, the lights had all been switched on, the sterile artificial glow washing over the hall, as the wintery evening fell with an inaudible sigh…

Little, inconsequential things blazed unbelievably clear into Sehun’s eyes – the way the light dusting of hairs on Tao’s forearms glinted as he pounded his fists together in salute.. the deep black rubber of his helmet, so dark it seemed to suck in all the energy in the room, as he struck the nose guards down, tightening them over his skin, swollen and bruised from the earlier fights like an overripe purple honeyberry about to split open… The way his Tao, who’d always looked so tall, who somehow always seemed to him like the tallest person in the room, now stood a head and more below Shun Yan, the jet black of his uniform and gear contrasting vividly with the Independent’s flaming red…The glint that was echoed in both of their eyes, visible clear across the wide hall, as the referee called out their names, introducing them, and detailing the scores they’d racked up in their previous matches….

The aggressiveness crystal in the way they jerked their heads to their coaches, to the judges..before turning to each other, facing off, holding each other’s gazes motionless for a pulse – before the referee yelled something, admonishing them, and reluctantly, they snapped their chins at each other in a terrible approximation of politeness, quickly bumping gloved fists before moving away…

‘Yubei!!’ The referee called, as he stepped back from between them, his focus fixed unwaveringly on the two boys, who almost seemed to be vibrating with barely suppressed bloodlust – and almost simultaneously – ‘Kaishi!!’

 Sehun’s breath caught in his throat, his blood screaming in his head – Taoc’monTAO –

It was like an explosion going off – he couldn’t even see who moved first, before he could even wrap his head around it, they flew at each other – Tao leaping just as Yan made to strike, catching him at the side of the head with a glancing kick -  but the red-clad giant just stepped back like he couldn’t even feel it, spinning around lightning fast to crack a punch at Tao’s back, that had him stumbling as he landed, throwing him slightly off balance – just slightly, hunching forward from the force of the blow – but that moment was all the Tiger needed, arcing his leg through the air to catch Tao full across the side with his shin, so powerful, it actually had him lifted off his feet, crashing sideways. Sehun gasped, his hands moving to his mouth in shock and fear – but even before the breath could leave his lips, Shun Yan had leapt forward, his fist in the ridiculously large black glove whistling through the air to where Tao was fallen on the ground

–  _Only he wasn’t!_  Yan’s punch thumped the mat, raising a cloud of blue, the sound reverberating even through the stands, jolting through Sehun’s feet as it landed uselessly where Tao had been just a millisecond ago – before he’d scissored his legs around, coming up behind him just as Shun Yan crouched to bring his punch home, whirling  _his_ leg around to catch Yan about the side, sending him stumbling forward – but Tao was already there, moving up so quickly, he seemed to just be a raven blur, an ink-black speeding Flash, as he raised his leg, and caught Yan full over the chest with the whole force of those incredibly straining bulging calves and thighs –

The yell that rose out as Yan was knocked backwards off his feet was so loud, the large glass paned windows lining the walls started trembling, the concrete of the bleachers seeming to turn fluid for a moment - it was only when a sharp pain sliced through his throat that Sehun realised he’d been screaming too, having jumped up to stand on his seat, his fist hurling through the air, as all about him, everyone was doing the same, the bright flashes of tinsel from the Cheer Club’s pompoms winking at the corner of his eyes, and Lu Han thumping him his back in triumphant glee…. _It was the first time, the first time in the entire competition that anyone had managed to_ … Sehun grinning widely as he settled back down, the scoreboard flashing neon colors on the opposite wall, and the cheers resounding throughout the hall gradually calming, fading, but far from dying, as the two boys on the mat faced off against each other, circling slowly, a little wary now they’d taken each other’s measure, caution and years of hard training slicing discipline through their blood thirst and violent fury

‘ _He could really do it…He could really actually do it.._ ’ By his side, Chan Ye was muttering the words over and over like a Chant, in a hushed, breathless amazed whisper, and Sehun giggled, leaning to shove his shoulder against him. ‘Of Course he can!! It’s  _Tao!!_ ’ ‘Ha!’ Chen Ye sniggered, raising an eye brow at him as he shoved right back. ‘Oh for  _someone’s_ blind faith in his boyf– ‘ ‘Hey!! You think he’s brilliant too!!’ Sehun laughed, unaware of the stumble. ‘Yeah, sure I do, but I’ve got nothing on you – ‘

His words were cut off, as out on the mat, thuds sounded across the mat, thudding footfalls as the boys raced at each other, the sounds echoing through the crowd almost before their eyes could catch up to the movement - as, incredibly, both of the arguably genius fighters launched themselves into identical kicks at the exact same moment. The almost synchronised movement caught the boys short, making their knees slam against each other’s torsos in midair, and they staggered off course, landing awkwardly, on far sides of the 'battlefield'.... Instantly, the referee was stepping forward,yelling with his hands outstretched angrily between them - taking points off of both of them [hitting with the knee, or elbows for that matter, was a foul]. Thoroughly unmindful of his indignation, they sprang up to their feet quickly, stepping about him without the slightest hint of regard - their focus concentrated solely at each other, to exchange blows, punches and kicks wildly flying through the air at lightning speed - Tao stumbling with the sheer force of the blow he himself landed on Yan’s jaw, who retaliated with a fusillade of cracking punches, whacking into his stomach; Tao shoving his palms into Yan’s chest, one after the other in a series of open-handed hits, Shun Yan grabbing his arm and twisting it up before stabbing a painfully resounding strike just above his elbow; Tao slicing his feet out, aiming a kick to Yan’s ankle – which he avoided, jumping cleanly out of the way – only to fall prey to the thrust as Tao lashed his foot forward, catching him in the stomach with a jolt; Devolving momentarily into a succession of equally exchanged punches that still managed to earn each of them an additional 22 points each, before Tao, feinting with his right, landed a Left at the perfect angle over Yan’s nose, producing an incredibly satisfying Crunch, guard or no guard; Shun Yan hurling his thigh against Tao’s, knocking him ferociously down, and Tao countering with a roll that ended with a sharp heel drop to the back of Yan’s knee, knocking  _him_ down; Shun Yan coming up with an uppercut to Tao’s ribcage, that had him coughing, choking for breath, following it up relentlessly with a split kick to the same spot – but Tao was ahead of him, blocking with one arm, while seizing the opportunity to grab his leg by the ankle and tug, pulling him closer n making him lose his balance, as he slammed a series of snapping jabs into his outstretched thigh – Before Yan threw himself up to twirl in mid air, that horizontal twist that Sehun had come to think of as ‘Tao’s move’, breaking free, and simultaneously ratcheting up the momentum to plant a couple of rapid kicks to the side of Tao’s head, making it snap down into his chest and back – it was almost palpable, the sudden spike of hatred that shot through Sehun at that moment. While the other times Tao had been on the receiving end of a hit, he’d just been afraid, or worried, this time, it was pure rage coursing through - of course it was a match, a competition, a…a  _sport_ , but fuckkit, how  _dare_ he, that was  _Tao’s_ move, he’d watched him do it a million times, it was perfect, how  _dare_ he, how  _dare_ he  _touch_ Tao with that–

‘YEEAAHHH!!!’

The next second, he leapt to his feet, throwing both hands in the air as he cheered – Tao’d done it – catching the exact moment Yan landed, timing it perfectly,  _beautifully_ , as he did it too – The Move, throwing himself up, but – he did it differently this time, tucking his arms against his chest, swinging his body around with nothing more than his will, it seemed, before landing two – no,  _four_ , he kept going,  _four friggin kicks_ , keeping it up for two whole rotations, as he clouted Shun Yan with four kicks one after the other in quick succession – almost… _cheeky,_ like he was _showing off,_  using the exact same move right after his opponent, and doing it even better, and the appreciative cheers that threatened to blow the roof right off demonstrated his audience had been felled too - losing to that crazy charm of his, even in this sort of situation, his unmatched confidence as he proved he could one-up the Genius ‘Tiger’ having floored them too, winning them all to his side – the number 7 guys were actually yelling ‘T, A, O’ in time to their drum, and out of the corner of his eye, Sehun could even see the kids who’d seemed to be in highest dudgeon only  moments ago at being forced to attend the Tourn, now all hanging off the railings, throwing their arms out as they joined in the cheering.. and behind them, even Xing Laoshi had caught the excitement, all thought of decorum fleeing as he yelled along with Eiri and gang, waving a ‘Tao’ banner he’d gotten from somewhere… 

  
 ‘Wo…wow…..wow..a friggin 720..to pull out a friggin 720 like that…in that situation,  _timing_ it like that…’ Chan Ye breathed beside him, and Sehun nodded – it was incredible, he’d never – ‘I had no idea Duizhang was this strong!’ Bo Xian leaned in to whisper from behind, and Sehun nodded again, that had exactly been what he’d been thinking himself - despite having watched Tao for so long, he’d had no idea either…he  _couldn’t_ have known…

 

Sehun felt like he’d just  _explode,_ he’d never felt this proud, this thrilled – and at the same time, this  _awed_  - that boy right there, that incredible…unbelievable piece of awesomeness was  _his_ …but… omg, how could that even be possible,  _how_ could  _that_ boy even….

 

Looking at this match…it was like… you would never believe how outclassed every single person who had fought Shun Yan had been, how completely and utterly trumped, how untouchable he’d seemed - till now. Till this encounter, this one contest – somehow…Tao was giving him a  _fight_  - And suddenly, he seemed human, someone who could actually be hit and hurt..and..just maybe, even defea–

 

 

‘Oh!!’ A collective gasp rose up as Shun Yan suddenly exploded flawlessly into a series of sideways whirls, the muscles on his arm forming a crazy series of bulges as he came up, to slam into Tao with the same technique that had floored Kevin at the last, breaking him – the one Sehun – and he didn’t realise just  _how_  much till it happened, till he saw the red shadow flying over the mat, and the bottom dropped out of his stomach – had been dreading, right from the beginning. ‘Tao!!’ – the whisper wrung out of his lips was simultaneously a warning scream, and a plea -  But it was like Tao was ready, like he’d been anticipating it, waiting for this one particular move, and he turned to face Yan head-on, drawing himself up, and –

 

!!!

 

 

_!!!!_

 

Going absolutely still, freezing, motionless as he stood straightened up,  _presenting_ his  – ‘THWRUMCGG!!!’ the sound of the blow hitting right into Tao’s solar plexus fractured through the hall, and Sehun screamed reflexively, unable to believe it, unable to try and believe his eyes as his boyfriend crumpled in a huddle –

 

 Why had he!??? He’d seen it, he’d waited,  **he’d _let_ him **– WHY!??!!!!

 

_No!!!!!!!_  Kevin had…the same thing, and  _Kevin_ had.. _not his Tao – why!!!!_

 

But the next instant, Tao staggered up, clearly more than a little winded, yet lurchingly drawing himself up – his feet resolutely stuck to the same spot with an uncanny resolution, and…..- unbelievably – crooked his fingers at the taller boy!

 

Even half-hidden by the helmet, the look on his face sent a chill shooting through Sehun.

 

Shun Yan paused, seeming as shocked as anyone else – pulled short for an infinitesimal second – before launching into the move again – and again, and  _again_  – and each time, Tao let him, doing  _nothing,_ not even guarding, not even blocking as he was pounded into, his body crumpling each time, a sickening crushing sound accompanying each blow  – dragging himself straight each time, to taunt Yan again….

 

_Over and over and over_ ….

 

Shun Yan stepped back, his chest rising and falling violently, visible even to them, as he moved away – almost shakily… his body forming clearly flabbergasted – and somehow almost  _frightened?_ lines as Tao drew himself up yet again, sliding his feet together to push himself up, before half-falling head first onto the floor, turning to the side to cough -  a terrible hacking wet sound sprayed a fine mist of red onto the mat, making a rustling stir spread through the crowd that had been holding its breath, shocked and terrified. Unheeding – most probably even having forgotten all about the existence of the audience at this point, Tao straightened up again to quirk his head at Yan, swiping his glove across his face to swab off the blood, his eyes holding a fire that somehow burned frigid – an unthinkable determination and fury radiating off him

 

Sehun felt like all those moments he’d looked at Tao and seen someone different today – all those times his fluffy boyfriend had turned into something terrifyingly lethal – it all seemed to have been leading upto this moment, this instance, and he understood it, in his head – he understood what had transpired the last few minutes, it was like..revenge, in a way…revenge and guilt and it was Tao somehow acknowledging and affirming Kevin, like he was paying back Yan – and himself – for what had happened – taking on Yan’s best move  _again and again_ and destroying it, not falling, not even stumbling, somehow…drawing it into his body like it was nothing he couldn’t handle - destroying its..its hold,  _its power_  -

 

Even as a part of Sehun understood it, most of him was just choking over the irresistible desire to yell out, to scream and shout till he could get through to him - it didn’t matter, this was too much,  _too much_ StopitstopitstopitSTOPITSTOPITSTOPIT -  In a flash, Tao had burst into a fury of movement, so fast it took everyone – even Yan, by surprise – running up to him, before tumbling down abruptly into a somersault, shoving his body powerfully forward with his hands, as he swivelled through the air with one leg stretched up, crashing it down into the side of Yan’s neck, in a ferocious slicing move even as the taller boy moved forward in reflexive offense – making him practically walk into his kick, masterfully using his own momentum against him. The force of the blow was so strong, it had Yan flying bodily across the mat – almost a good foot away, landing with a ringing crash!, almost theatrical as he literally bounced up off the floor – then going spinning as Tao, having leapt forward, slammed a foot into his side –

Kicking him again –

Punching his foot into him, once – twice, thrice, repeatedly striking him in  _his_ turn, an unforgiving barrage, and after one awestruck, stunned beat, it had Sehun bursting into a raucous yell of triumph -  _it was **wild**  it was crazy wild, he was – that’s it babe, fuck yeah!!!!!_ The blood rushing to his head was painting everything a fiery red, and all around him too – the cheers had almost all turned into snarls, everyone caught up in the heat, the animal fire, exaggerated a billion times by relief and in contrast to the horror that had held them collectively trapped just minutes ago YEAHTAO, YEAH –

 

The next moment, just as Tao raised his foot and brought it down again, Shun Yan kicked up himself – catching Tao squarely in his unguarded, exposed chest with a surging kick, that had Tao flying back, crashing onto the floor.  Shun Yan bounced back up to his feet, tottering slightly, yet still swift as a striking tiger, stepping forward just as Tao made to rise to his feet - he was a fraction of a second too late, scrambling to his knees only in time to take a blow that had him falling back down. Shun Yan grabbed his collar as he fell, though, pulling him up before he could hit the ground, and slammed his fist into his middle with all of his strength, sending a sickening Oomphing crunch through the air, as Tao’s body bucked wildly backwards, rising into the air in a surrealistic ‘C’ shape –

And again, and  _again_ , as he pummelled Tao mercilessly, without even letting him get to his feet, or collect himself, without technique, or..or training or..anything, it was just..sheer violence, pistoning his arm back and forth, throwing his whole strength behind each strike with a palpable wrath, like he was trying to just  _destroy_ Tao, who swung his arms out wildly between hits, but it was useless, he had no leverage, no foothold, no way to move –

‘GUUBBTTUACCHH!! GGRRRUUBBTUAACHH!!’ – a roar screamed through Sehun’s head with each contact, in tandem with Yan’s grunts of exertion, and Tao’s of pain, mingling hideously with the crushing thwacks of Yan’s fist battering into him; the elation of only a minute earlier falling away leaving only a hideously nauseating fear, each swing pounding through him like he could physically feel it himself his head crying out hoarsely at the top of its voice,  _TAO_ _TAO_ _, no Stop oh my god, Tao!!!_

 

 

In a split second, in a fraction of a moment, things had gone from one extreme to another; in a trice, falling far far away from words like ‘match’ or ‘sport’, it couldn’t be labelled as any of that any longer, it was like he was  _killing_  him, beating, hammering ruthlessly,  _brutally_ ,  _ohhgod, why didn’t the referee step in, why didn’t anyone_  – Tao’s body had gone still, no longer even snapping back, even though Yan kept pummelling with the same intensity, his body still bent over Shun Yan’s fist, so Sehun couldn’t even see his face, couldn’t even –  _Stopitsomeonestopit please omg –_

 

 

Finally the referee yelled something, and Yan snapped up, glaring daggers at him for a moment – before slowly stepping away, letting go – dropping Tao, who fell face first onto the floor.

 

Still

 

 

 

Unmoving

 

 

‘ONE.’

 

The referee started his count, and his voice echoed tremendously loud through the utter silence that pervaded the hall, everyone holding their breaths – no, more like,  _unable to breath,_ as Tao lay fixed and motionless…

 

‘FOUR’

 

‘FIVE’

 

It seemed like an eternity, the space between each call stretched out forever, and Sehun felt his heart twist tortuously – thiswasnthappenigItDIDNTEVENMATTER who cared about a stupid match, omg Zitao, you get up now, GET UP godammit Tao, I’m going to KILL you,so stupid,matchjustamatchRIDICULOUSGET UPi swear youbettergetupnow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Not even the least tremble or a tiny flicker.

 

Even though he was straining with all his might, Sehun couldn’t even see the rise and fall of his breathing – but surely that was just the distance..just the angle…right….?

 

‘SIX’

 

 

‘SEVEN’

 

 

‘EIGHT’

 

 

 

And then it happened – from right behind Sehun, he had no idea even who it was, but right then, as the word ‘eight’ left the referee’s lips, a yell burst out from right behind him – ‘LAO DA!!!!!!!! JIAYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!’

 

Thinking back it was so stupid, too – it was like the cheer when someone does something, was  _doing_ something, not….not at a situation like this – but at the time….

 

It was the sheer confidence his kids had in him, right? Like they were so damn sure, so utterly convinced – it was crazy, honestly, what exactly did they imagine, that this was all part of his plan..or…something?? But the possible rationality or lack thereof didn’t seem to bother them at all… Like their ‘Duizhang’ – no, no, their ‘Lao Da’, was so untouchable, so undefeatable, even the evidence of their own eyes was easily dismissed

 

As one, the cheer rang out through the entire crowd from their school, cutting through the ice cold silence like a flaming firework blasting through the night, making everyone turn to look at them with raised eyebrows, and gaping mouths – but Sehun couldn’t give a damn, as he added his voice, the muscles in his throat cording tight as he pumped his fist into the air in chorus with the rest – ‘LAO-DA-JIA-YOU!!!!!!!!!! LAO-DA-JIA-YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!’

 

 

Afterwards, Tao claimed he hadn’t heard a word – that he had totally blacked out, with only the foggiest notion of where he was, even; and hearing, leave alone understanding, any cheering that might have been going on was thoroughly out of the question – but whenever he put forward this defence, everyone – Sehun, or the club members, or anyone of the 40 who had been there that day, just scoffed – to the end, they remained convinced what happened next was a miracle, and one they had wrought.

 

Coz right then, as the referee was just about to pronounce ‘TEN’ – though no one heard him under the crescending cries that were resonating throughout the entire hall from their part of the stands – right then, like he was moving on rusty old ball bearings, Tao shoved his forehead into the floor, and pushed himself up…rising painfully onto his hands and knees – before stumbling upto his feet – and abruptly launching himself powerfully at the totally startled and taken aback Yan.

 

 

  
‘Ohoh Yeah that one!!! Oh my god, that kick, that  _was_ the funniest!!’

‘Hell yeah!!! Did you see it,  _crazy_!! What are the chances they’d go n do the  _same_ move at the  _same time_ , haahhhaaa!’

‘YEAH!!! Bwooorrshhhhh – n they went crashing into each other! Kekeke the referees’s face!’

 

‘Okay Kids, for the fifth time, that’s enough!! We need to leave, now.’ Yixing Laoshi stuck his head into the room, for – sure enough, the fifth time, where everyone – somehow, all 40 of them, plus the club members themselves, having made their way to the surprisingly expensive looking hotel the Club was staying in in readiness for tomorrow’s set of matches, had squashed themselves in unceremoniously into the largest one, to relive the matches for the hundredth time, the air sparkling raucously as the excitement still wound through them unabated, everyone speaking too loud, gesturing too widely, the laughter threading nonstop..

‘C’mon!! Up, up up!!’

‘Aaawwwwww’ Laoshi seemed determined this time, stepping in to lean against the door post, crossing his arms implacably in front of his chest as he levelled a stern look at his charges, and groaning and whining, the supporters hauled themselves up, dragging their feet to the door; setting down the gleaming trophies that had been passed around and admired over and over, without the slightest decrease in enthusiasm, and exchanging them for the jackets and coats and mufflers they picked randomly out of the big pile near the door, or the smaller ones strewn haphazardly about - no one knew any longer where their own belongings were, after all; yelling goodbyes and goodnights behind them to the club members, and promising they’d be over bright and early for Day 2 of the tourn; Everyone wanting to shake hands with Tao one last time, or (despite Sehun’s most glowering frowns) hug him goodbye; More than one expedition having to be sent out in search of a ‘missing’ cheerleader, who had to be disentangled from a Wushu club member, and deposited in the bus – and in Jo’s case, more than once for the same cheerleader, who couldn’t resist going back again and again to ‘say goodnight’ to Terrance; Chen Laoshi having to physically catch hold  of Bo Xian, who’d run wildly down the Grand Curved Staircase to the Foyer of the hotel to yell at whoever had ‘pinched’ his jacket, to ‘give it back, you piece of rotten liver’ and drag him back up, bowing apologies to the startled and disapproving old people in the lobby….

 

‘…and go to bed, okay!! No staying up talking and shit, everyone’s too hyped up as is, can’t be trusted, damn muscle-bound...’ Sehun fell away into dark mutterings, momentarily forgetting the giant list of rules and directives he was laying out for Tao – before the aforementioned’s totally disrespectful chuckles drew him back on topic – ‘Shuttup!! Go to your room, now!!’

‘This  _is_  my room…’ Tao grinned even wider, reaching his fingers to stroke against Sehun’s jawline under the guise of pulling his muffler tighter.

‘Stoppit. Well, get everyone else out then!! What the hell, thinking they can all just…..spineless Wushu captain…..’

As Sehun fell into a revised edition of Incoherent Grumbling [viz., Sehun’s patented I.G v2.0], and Yixing Laoshi started yelling from the corridor outside for Jo yet again, Tao sighed, thinking how the only thing to do now- and the thing he wanted to do most of all – was to just kiss him so hard, right now, just smack his lips against those wet, glistening, pearly –

 

Sighing again, he snapped away as Chan Ye yelled over from the middle of the room, calling to everyone to come give him the orders for dinner, he was dialling room service.

 

‘Anyone still here….’ Yixing Laoshi came back in for his final check, surveying the room with narrowed eyes, only to find – ‘Sehun!!!! Honestly, what am I going to do with these idiots, Oh Sehun, c’mon!! We have to go!!’ he yelled out in a voice that brooked no argument, before snapping off to go hunt down Shifu, and formally thank and congratulate him, and bid him goodnight.

 

‘Okay, so that’s seven orders of chicken, five beef…is everyone okay with rice, it’s too annoying to order differently for everyone, let’s just all have rice, ‘kay??’  Chan Ye continued, after breaking off momentarily to stare blankly at Laoshi’s fast retreating back, diving back into tryina sort out dinner for the club members, all of whom – with the exception of Tao, of course, crowded around him, heckling loudly

 

‘You better go now….’ Tao turned back to Sehun, his eyes softening as he took in the little tremble that quivered through his baby

 

_Dammit this was tough_

 

‘..Mmmm…..’ Sehun nodded, his fingers plucking at his bottom lip as he stared at Tao’s chest, right about the level of his second button, not meeting his eyes. ‘Eat properly, kay, and have a good long soak in the tub, and – ‘

‘Hunhun!!’ Tao cut him off, spluttering. ‘I’m  _fine,_ ehehhee, it’s okay, really– ‘

‘Haaa!???? You dare say that to my face!!!’ Sehun snapped up, glaring at Tao so fiercely, he  _thoroughly_  grasped the fine points of the ‘if looks could kill’ adage for the first time.

‘Ehh..huh?’

‘You’re okay  _now_! Ha!  _Now_ yeah, right now, you’re fine, but if you honestly think you are ever, and I mean,  _ever,_ going to step foot in a fuckin ‘Wushu tourn’ again – ‘

‘Heeyyy, c’mon, it wasn’t that bad~~ to be honest it was totally the  _most_ fun I’ve had in like..EVER!!!!’ Tao beamed, happy and triumphant and proud – which only served to deepen Sehun’s scowl. ‘What’s  _that_ supposed to mean, huh??  _in ever??_ If you like getting beaten up so much – ‘

‘Heyy!! I meant, as in, ya know..’ Tao drawled, his beam drawing thin, narrowing into a teasing smirk, a wicked glint flickering out in his eyes. ‘ _I_  did a lot of the beating up myself, too, ya know…. And these guys are really good – I mean, they’r all so strong, and…just physically fit…really, really  _fit_ and-‘

 

‘………….

…. _FINE_.

I gottit.

 I’m sorry for getting in the way, then. I’ll just leave, now, shall I!!’

 

Flouncing about and flicking his hair back, almost crackling with outrage, Sehun stomped his way furiously to the door – drawing the eyes of the rest of the Club, who were all still arguing over the advisability of ordering Stir Fried Shrimp vs. Smoked Lamb [or the most popular choice, of ‘Both!’]

 

‘Hyung!! You’re leaving??!’ Minsoo called out, running up to him

‘YES I AM!!’ Sehun snorted, jerking his head, like a particularly miffed thoroughbred. ‘I’d hate to outstay my welcome!!’

‘…Huhhh??? But Hyung is – ‘

‘Seehun!!’ Tao strode up behind – which only set Sehun off again, beelining straight to the door. ‘C’moonnn I was only kidding – hey!! Sehunnie!! Oyyyy~~~’

Sehun viciously brushed off the hand he laid on his shoulder, reaching for the backpack he’d flung over the sofa earlier, and totally ignoring Tao – a commendable feat, seeing as how he was determinedly engaged in alternating calls of ‘Oooyyy Sehunnie!!’ with blowing long puffs of hot air down his neck.

 

‘…. _Huhh?!’_ Minsoo turned an utterly bemused look from them to the rest of the crowd, his eye brows raised in question – making Chan Ye snort with laughter, and setting Bo Xian off into theatrical retching noises, pretending he was hurling all over Tao’s bed. ‘C’mon, c’mon, about the Shrimp..’ Pacifically, Terrance came up to sling an arm about Minsoo’s shoulders, and drag him back to the phone, and a sort-of peace reigned over the room – for all of 1 minute, before Yixing Laoshi hurtled into the room again, with a roar of ‘SEHUUNN!!!’

 

Wincing sheepishly, Sehun quickly grabbed his bag and winched it over a shoulder [he’d been fiddling ‘busily’ with it, while totally ‘not’ paying attention to Tao’s attempts to appease him, without touching him, or saying anything that could be considered  _weird_  by the 17 other guys in the room, a..kinda…weirdly hot challenge in itself, Sehun thought, turning it into a proper..play..wouldn’t be half bad - ] ‘I’m coming, I’m coming!!’ He quickly shuffled off, still refusing to look at Tao, while Laoshi sighed, and turned to the rest

‘Guys, we just got a call from the hospital, they want to keep him overnight just for observation, but, otherwise, Kevin’s absolutely alright, he’s going to be just fine – ‘ He cut himself off, chuckling, at the cheers that rose out.

‘Yes, we’re all glad, and grateful; they said he can come back and join us tomorrow and other than having to take it light for a bit, he’s as good as new – yes, alright, yes Chan Ye, it’s ‘swell’, but keep it down, okay, you’ll disturb the other guests… and get to bed, all of you, you still have a big day tomorrow. Well, then…goodnight boys. Sehun, c’mon – ‘ he jerked his head at Sehun, who’d frozen halfway out the door - Tao having brought out the big guns, leaning in to whisper in his ear, painting such vivid pictures with his breathy murmurs that he  had splotches of crimson wreathing Sehun’s cheeks, as he shyly bit his lip –

‘Uh-gu-Yeah!’ Quickly, Sehun snapped up, nodding at Laoshi, when -

‘But Laoshi!’

‘Hmm?’  Xing Laoshi turned to Chan Ye’s cry, raising an eyebrow. ‘What is it?’

‘But Laoshi….Sehun’s got permission to stay over here with us!!’

‘What?’ Laoshi turned, frowning, to Sehun – who looked just about as taken aback as he did – till Tao helpfully slammed a foot over his, making him yip, and start nodding emphatically – ‘Yeah – yes yes, that’s right, got permission –  _oww_ honestly, did you have to do it that hard – ‘ hissing the last at Tao who only grinned, shoving his head down with one hand, and bowing himself

‘That’s right, Laoshi, sorry, I forgot to tell you, we asked for permission for Sehun to stay over with us…..coz…urmm  ‘

‘Coz he’s the Student Advisor to the Club!’ Bo Xian cut in, his eyes sparkling with his irrepressible love of mischief, ready to go at any moment, and thrilled for the opportunity.

‘What nonsense!!’ Laoshi harrumphed, glaring at all of them. ‘Student Advisor to the Club, indeed, there's no such thing!!’

‘Yes there is!!’ Minsoo joined in – as did Terrance and Wu and Lee – the sudden addition of support making even Yixing Laoshi take a step back ‘We voted and  _everything_!’ So earnest did Lee look, with his apple pie cheeks gleaming, that even Sehun could’ve credited his story – so it was no wonder Laoshi drew a long breath, the suspicion fading from his frown

‘Is this true, Zitao?’

‘Yes, absolutely!!’

‘Laoshi!! Honestly!!’ Chan Ye chuckled, like it was such a ‘known’, ‘understood’ thing, it was ridiculous Laoshi didn’t know about it. ‘That’s why he’s been in charge of all the decorations, and stuff, and he was the one who organised all the support, right!?’

‘Well….that is true, yes.. – ‘

‘And he was even at their pre-comp dinner last night – and  _only_ Club members attend that, you know!’ Lu Han, who’d come to find out what the hold-up was, stuck his head in to add his 2 cents to the mix.

‘Lu Han? Is this true?!!’

‘Yes, absolutely!!’ He beamed at Laoshi, giving Lee a run for his money in the category of Moste Earneste Looks. ‘His parents okay-ed it and everything.’

‘Well…well then…’ Laoshi reluctantly growled, conceding. ‘Shifu’s turned in already, and I don’t want to disturb him.. – ‘

‘Oh no!’   ‘Of course of course!!’  ‘Since he’s so tired!!’

‘He didn’t even sleep all last night, he was prepping!!’

‘Plus he’s got to be up before all of tomorrow too!!’

‘Yeah!!’

‘Alright, alright!!’ SIghing, Laoshi waved down the outburst, shrugging. ‘Well….i’m still not very sure about this – ‘

‘Laaoosshiii!!’

‘Yes, yes, alright, well, if your parents gave persmission – ‘

‘YES!!’ Sehun turned his most angelic smile up at him, nodding.

‘Well, alright then, but if I hear about even the slightest  _teeniest_ trouble – ‘

‘Oh no!! I would never!!’

‘Hmmph. C’mon.’ Jerking his head at Lu  Han, who flashed Sehun a thumbs up, and cheekily winked goodnight at the rest, Laoshi strode off, calling back admonitions to the boys to ‘Behave, or else’, followed by a gleefully skipping Lu  Han, who kept yelling goodbyes all the way down the corridor – till Laoshi cuffed him over the head, and told him to can it.

 

For a moment longer, there was utter silence in the room – the next, a loud cheer broke out, as everyone hooted and crowed, and burst out laughing -  the preliminaries to the full scale rout that subsequently broke out, culminating in Sehun falling off of the dainty little tea table onto which he had been shoved by a dozen obliging hands, to discourse on his gratitude, and propound his ‘Vote of Thanks’, bringing it crashing down behind him with a bang that far belied its daintiness.

‘Shit!!’

‘Shit, is it broken?!’

‘Fuck it better not be!!’

 

‘………….HEY!!! What about me??!!’ Sehun yelled in outrage, as a good 10 pairs of legs stepped unfeelingly right over him to carefully pick the table up, and set it upright

‘…Phew, omg, thank goodness, a bill for breaking hotel property would totally have had Xing Laoshi frothing at the mouth!!’ With a sigh of relief, Tao sank back onto his knees – just in time to met Sehun’s glower [viz., The Oh Hun ‘If-Looks-Could-Kill’ Look v2.0]

‘…what?!’

‘Et tu, Zitao?’ Chan Ye struck a melodramatic pose, before bursting into laughter and helping Sehun to his feet.

Luckily the doorbell rang just then – and everyone raced to open it, grabbing for the trays and bowls of steaming hot rice and meat, even before the two waiters could unload their carts, snapping apart their chopsticks and digging in, as they fought for a good spot in the big circle they formed on the floor [the seniors having quickly claimed the bed and sofa, despite Tao’s half hearted threats that he’d kill anyone who spilled even the tiniest smidgen of sauce on either]; and by the time Tao had selflessly scooped all the juiciest bits of lamb and chicken into his boyfriend’s bowl, all the while whispering sweet nothings and outpourings of sympathy into his ear, he’d managed to bring said boyfriend around – so much so, that, once the last of the stragglers had left, wishing Tao and Sehun [who was ostensibly making up a bed for himself on the sofa] goodnight, with the most inexplicable smirks and arched looks, [a wolf whistle sounding from the First Years as they made their way down the corridor, startling Sehun for a moment – before Tao laughed, joking about how it was no wonder they’d won through, his kids were made of metal, to still be in high spirits even after  _that_  meal] he wordlessly padded into the bathroom, drawing up a steaming hot bath, and dumping in every last drop of the complimentary salts, before coming out to wrap his arms around Tao and drag him in. 

  
  


‘Honestly, Sehun, there's nothing here!’

‘Look properly!! There – there – no, down a bit – no! Not that much – yeah, there right there, look, isn’t it bleeding or something??!’

‘Nope.’ Tao giggled, prodding Sehun’s pristine back, where he had tugged his shirt up, to let Tao see better, making him cry out, and leap away, sloshing the hot soapy water onto the gleaming yellow tiles. ‘No cut, scrape, bruise, mark, or signs of blood, at all.’ He pronounced, ‘And even luckier, the table didn’t suffer either’ – teasing Sehun into smacking him over the head, only laughing in reply, sticking his tongue out at him, before sighing again, long and loud, and stretching his arms up till his shoulders popped. ‘Aaa~aah~~the water feels so good!!’

Sehun grinned at his moaning, climbing back around Tao so he could get behind him once again, perching on the rim of the tub like he always did, with his trousers rolled up to his knees, [though they, along with the rest of his uniform, had long lost the battle to stay dry, a result of a certain game of ‘Who-can-resist-laughing-while-being-tickled-the-longest’ that had unexpectedly broken out earlier,  _totally through no fault of Sehun’s,_ of course] braced on either side of Tao, going back to carefully massaging his arms and back – Tao was nothing  _but_  a patchwork of cuts, scrapes, bruises and marks – some of which still oozed trickles of straw coloured blood, his skin mosaiced in various shades of plum and currant, swollen, split, torn – each wound eliciting a fresh comment from Sehun as he discovered them, spiralling quickly from shock and earnest entreaty to outright derision and snarky sarcasm, as Tao refused all his propositions to write out a club resignation form for him.

‘Oh look!! There's even one  _here_!!’ Sehun traced his finger along a cut that ran about three inches long just at his hairline, on the back of Tao’s head – his touch gentle, despite the heavy scorn in his voice. ‘It’s  _okay_ ’ Tao chuckled, pouting. ‘Aah-ah…Am I really that weak, that you have to worry about every little scratch I get… - OWW!!’ Wincing in actual pain this time, he pulled away, as Sehun dug his finger brutally against the cut. ‘What was that for!!!‘

‘Oh, nothing…’ Sehun quipped airily, pulling him back to lather the shampoo into his hair, his hands gentle once more. ‘Just demonstrating exactly how little that scratch was.’

Tao snorted, leaning back and relaxing against Sehun’s chest, smearing shampoo over his already dripping wet shirt, as he worked his fingers round and round his scalp, tenderly tracing as lightly as possible over the bumps. ‘Whatever, I won!!’

‘Humph. Big-Fuckin-Deal, when we came so close to having to scrape your remains off that mat with a shovel.’ Even though he was joking, a thrill of real fear ran through him, as he remembered…his fingers tightening unconsciously, making Tao wince again – and bringing him back immediately from his trance – ‘Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to – ‘

‘It’s okay!’ Tao patted his knee reassuringly – but even as he turned the conversation to how Yan wasn’t such a bad guy after all – coming up to Tao after the match, to grin a challenge at him, saying how he’d ‘see him again next year’, a rallying call to Tao if there ever was one, making him return the grin and reach his hand out to him, to shake properly this time, telling him he could count on it – and Sehun scoffed loudly, still far from ready to forgive the boy who had come to represent every villainous monster from every action movie he had ever hated – even as he spoke of this and that,  Tao could sense it – the deep, elemental fear, and worry, and he couldn’t help feeling a strong tide of guilt at having made him feel that way….

 

And that unease only grew, as the conversation progressed, and Sehun showed no signs of thawing towards his Wushu, or accepting his ‘near death experience’, as he kept referring to it, till, to Sehun’s surprise and annoyed protests of how he was barely halfway through, and admonitions of ‘You’ve still got shampoo behind your ears, you dolt!!’ Tao cut abruptly through Sehun’s queries of why he even needed to stay here, [‘Day 2’s only the Group Events, anyway, and you’re not participating in any of ‘em!’]; bounding out of the bath, grabbing Sehun up into his arms in a princess hold, and carrying him into the bedroom; yanking off the covers one-handedly, as he dropped him onto the bed, and fell over him, pushing his legs down, and sliding his fingers into his hair as he kissed him, feeling like he was drowning in guilt, and self reproach, matched only by the tenderness and love he felt for his precious baby –

 

‘Tao!’ Sehun laughed, pushing him away and shaking his head, bemused ‘What’s the matter?’

 

‘…nothing…just…let me, okay?’ Tao pushed himself partway up on his elbows, to look right at Sehun, brushing his wet locks lovingly off his forehead.

 For a moment, Sehun just looked at him, taking in the suddenly…  _solemn_  expression framing Tao’s features, and the unsmiling cast of his eyes.  Then - ‘….Umm.’ he nodded gravely, reaching his own hands to cup Tao’s cheeks, and pulling him down to meet his lips.

‘Yes.’ He nodded gently again. ‘But on one condition.’

‘Huh?’

Sehun smiled against his mouth, softly – before abruptly pushing him off firmly, and clambering over, to lie pressed over  _him,_ squashing his wet clothed torso into Tao’s naked one, to mingle their breaths as he whispered ‘Tao does nothing.’

 

‘ _Huhh_??’

 

‘You just lie there, like a good little boy, okay,  _don’t move_ , let  _me_ do everything.’

 

‘What are you… ‘ Tao laughed, shaking his head firmly. ‘No way – ‘

 

‘ _Yes way!_ ’ Sehun sat up, straddling him, determined. ‘Yes way – or nothing doing, I’m gonna go sleep on the sofa.’

 

‘You don’t mean that~’ Tao raised an eyebrow at him, still laughing

 

‘Yeah I do!!’

 

‘…….Wait, you’re serious??’

 

‘Yeah!!’ Sehun thumped his fist against Tao’s shoulder, one of the few unmarked parts of his body

 

‘But Huunniiiee!! I wanna…’

 

‘What?’

 

‘Ya know….’

 

‘No, I don’t!’ Sehun leaned forward, bending his face close to where Tao had turned his away, pouting ‘I don’t, so tell me~’ Keeping his voice sombre, even though, from the way Tao was blushing, he just  _knew_ it was something juicy, Sehun bent even further, strands of his hair, dark and heavy in their wetness, falling onto Tao’s forehead.  

 

‘Well….ya know…pamper you and shit…’

 

‘Huh?’

 

‘Huhh??!’

 

‘I didn’t quite catch what you said, do you mind repeating that?’

 

Tao snapped about in annoyance – opening his mouth sourly to reply - only to let it fall wide, loosely. For a long moment, he just stared, as Sehun straightened, gaping with his eyes and lips forming matching, perfect ‘O’s ignoring all of Sehun’s bewildered queries – then he abruptly shot his arm out, hurriedly reaching one hand out to fumble blindly on the bedside table, his fingers scrabbling over the polished wood, knocking over the jumble of mp3 players, bunches of keys, and lone bottle of deodorant that various club members had left behind, till they closed over his phone.

 ‘Stop, don’t move!’

‘Huh???!!!!’ Sehun frowned in perplexity as Tao snapped his phone open, pointing it at him, his free hand frantically gesticulation like a traffic cop attempting to hail down a Mack truck. ‘Hold it!! Do.Not.Move.’

 

‘………….

 

Hey, Huang _-_ Zitao!!!  

 

………..

 

…

Tao-Ge-ge-ge, what the hell???’

Tao was finally torn away from his screen at that, to quirk an eyebrow at him, as he hooted – ‘What was  _that_?!’

‘What about  _you!!_ ’ Sehun managed to finally wrestle the phone out of his grasp –  ‘What’r you  _do…ing..’ -_ only to frown, bewildered, as he perused the glowing screen. ‘EeWhat..the..fuck… you’re taking pics..?? Now?? Ermm…..  _why_?’

 

‘Coz, ya know, you just look so damn hot like that.’ Tao deadpanned, greedily raking his eyes over Sehun – who was sitting up upright, straddling him, his dripping wet shirt sticking to his chest, the thin white material transparent and see through in the light of the glowing spheres artistically bracing the walls all around; the drenched black trousers faithfully clinging to every little bulge and indent, so damn unbelievably  _handsome_ and sexy with his unusually mysterious dark hair trickling droplets of water over his face, shimmering as they traced over his lashes and plopped onto his lips  _FUckkk WOW_ Tao found he suddenly couldn’t breathe – the cute and sexy Sehun he knew full well, his shining little magical elf, but this – this was a totally new, suddenly…quite.. _manly_ hot version, that was..just… -

 

‘Hey!!’ The sudden Click had him starting up, grabbing for the phone – but Sehun yanked his hand up, away, giggling gleefully and the resulting out-thrust of his chest under that filmy sopping cloth as he held it out of his reach distracted Tao so completely, it took him a beat to swallow, experiencing a weird, foggy moment remarkably like when he’d collapsed down on the mat earlier, [‘cept this one was just absolutely  _delicious_ ] – before somehow getting back on topic –

‘What’re you doing, give that back!’

‘Muhahahaaa, I think not!’ Arching his back away, Sehun pulled the phone into position again, taking another perfectly angled pic of Tao – licking his lip unconsciously as he realised how even hotter-than-usual his boy’s hunky, ripped bod looked, viewed through a lens, his shoulders, and neck, and incredibly long throat all gleaming, still moist from the bath..that wonderfully powerful chest, and sharply cleaved abs, even covered with random, oddly shaped patches of painful purple-red, it was like the wounds were some sort of battle honours, thrilling through him in sheer excitement as they showed up clear and bright on the screen, speaking to some rudimentary part of him, some undeniable, primitive force thudding through him at the sharp memory of the fights that had earned Tao those bruises, the fights he’d  _won_ every one……

‘Whoa…Tao-ya, omg, hold on! Turn your head a little bit to the left, and up – yeah, stretch your neck more – OYY HEY!!’

Sehun scuffled uselessly as Tao, losing patience, finally sat up, knocking him off balance; firmly commandeering the phone with one hand, and Sehun’s upper arm with the other; hauling away the former safely to the side as he flopped back down, and tugging the later to pull Sehun flat over him again

 ‘This is soo not the time for a friggin photoshoot!’ He grumbled, silencing Sehun’s giggled protests of ‘You started it!!’ by the simple expedient of shoving his tongue into his mouth.

One-handedly, Tao tightened his grip over Sehun’s arm, squeezing winch tight for a moment, before moving it upwards, rubbing far-from-gently over the sodden cloth, pressing it into his skin, as Sehun followed suit, his fingers digging into Tao’s shoulders, before moving over his biceps, their lips and tongues cloying all the while, never letting up for a moment, Tao’s deep grunts matching Sehun’s moans

‘Uhhmm..’

 

‘Uhhh’

 

‘Mmmuummm..’

 

‘Ohh..’

 

‘Ah – huh?!! ‘

 

_PaTchiickkk!!_

 

‘What the - OYY!!’

 

Sehun broke away, laughing, while Tao choked, struggling to hide his own chuckles, and appear suitably mad ‘You  _ass_!’

‘ _You are!’_

 

‘Honestly!!’ Grumbling Tao pulled the phone in front, flicking it open –

‘…………

 

……

 

Holy fuck…

!!!!!’

‘Whaywaht, lemme see, let me see!!’ Sehun slid under Tao’s arms, twisting over to look at it too ‘Whoa _!!’_

This time Tao couldn’t control his mirth any longer, and he burst into hoots of laughter, and Sehun joined in, shaking with guffaws over Tao’s chest –

 

Which gradually faded the longer they studied the pic, the racy photo replacing the hilarity with embarrassment and arousal.

 

While ostensibly making out, Sehun had worked his busy fingers all the way down Tao’s arm, to slip them into his – to where the phone lay nestled in his palm -  his rising arousal utterly convincing him he’d  _die_ if he couldn’t get a Naked Tao pics Collection  _right now_   – but his master plan was foiled by Tao, who, with all the reflexes of the Wushu Master of the Province [High School level], had tightened his grip on the metal casing just in time – and the resulting little onehanded scuffle had ended in -

 

A perfectly crisp image of them eating each other’s faces, clinging lips, and lashes that grazed the others’, Tao’s fingers making love to Sehun’s throat…the camera even zeroing in on the drops of water that were falling onto Tao’s forehead from Sehun’s hair, and the strand of purple that traced over Tao’s bare side…

 

‘Wow!! Omg Taotao, look, you can even see a bit of your tongue, look, here, see?’ Excitedly, Sehun blew up the pic to point out the flash of bright pink – before Tao hurriedly yanked the phone away. ‘Stoppit!!’

 

‘Eehhhhh~~~Whhyyy~~’ Sehun didn’t really need to ask – the burn that was flaming over Tao’s cheeks just grew deeper the longer the pic was on display, and the haste with which he flicked the screen off told its own tale –  _but it was so much more fun this way_ … And it was really only with the intention of teasing Tao even more, that Sehun drawled ‘Whhyy not, Taozi babeh, c’mon, look – ‘ as he wriggled the phone out of his fingers, and flicked it open, positioning it in the air, as he turned back to face Tao, n wiggled down a bit, tracing the tip of his index finger down Tao’s breastbone, before moving sideways..up his chest…

To come right up to his nipple, not touching it, but framing the dark pink nub between his thumb and forefinger

‘See, it’s fun!!’

‘OYYWhateryou – ‘ Even as Tao tried to get up, Sehun had snapped his head down – pushing the tip of his tongue out against the peak, and simultaneously pushing down the button on the side of Tao’s phone, that had a click ringing out through the room, otherwise silent except for the smooth whirr of the heater, and an almost inaudible hum from the overhead lights – and of course, the heavy, catching irregular breathing emanating from the two of them.

‘HEYY!!’ Tao cried out, his back virtually flying off the bed as he jumped up - but Sehun only giggled naughtily as he was pushed down by Tao’s movement, bracing himself on his knees on either side of Tao’s thighs, so he was still straddling his lap, as Tao instinctively put out a hand to grab the back of his shirt to steady him.

‘See?’ Airily, he brushed the phone forward, between them, showing Tao the pic – and gasping as he himself caught sight of it for the first time

If the first one had been kinda hot, this one was a blazing volcano, drawing out the tanned gleam of Tao’s shoulder, which somehow managed to catch the light in a shimmering bronze orb, yet not overpower the rest of the photo, the porcelain white bulge of Sehun’s arm glowing milky right through his wrinkled, wet shirt as he strained to hold the camera at the right angle, the way his cheek softened lusciously against Tao’s firm, strong chest, the way Tao’s fingers dug into the bed, scalloping the sheets – and of course, the pale pink of Sehun’s tongue, moist as it slid against Tao’s nipple, swollen a bruised purple in reaction, the minute whorls on its surface a ripe cerise…

 

Both of them froze completely, the laughter dying out of Sehun’s face – it was just so…so….damn HOT, it was ridiculous!! It looked so different like this, seeing themselves, and each other, like they never had before - not to mention how oddly arousing it was, just the act of…exhibition??  _Displaying_ themselves like that – and  _looking_  at themselves displayed like that – illicit, promiscuous and forbidden, and dangerous, and sodamnfucking thrilling -  Sehun’s sodden, freezing clothes felt unbearably hot at that moment, burning into his skin, the pit of his stomach feeling molten –

 

‘Aahh…so..yeah, like I was saying..’ Sehun cleared his throat, struggling with the words, with  _no_  idea what he was talking about, just the vague idea that he  _had_ been saying something right when – when Tao cut him off, moving as quickly as he had out on the mat -  striking in a flash, he straightened up and pulled Sehun by the hand he still held clutched in the back of his shirt – heaving him up so he was now kneeling over Tao’s lap, the top of Tao’s head at level with his chin; In the very same movement he grabbed hold of his hand - the one still clasping the phone, and yanked it out to the side, his fingers pressing against Sehun’s, pushing them more firmly against the buttons; Clenching the hand behind Sehun even tighter, simultaneously, he pulled his soaked shirt backwards, making it stretch taut over his chest, the cold wet fabric rubbing tight over Sehun’s nipples, which were already prickling sensitively – and swelling them visibly plum under the water-transparent material, making them appear prominent…  _putting them on show…_ ; Growling ‘Fun, eh?’ right before he latched  onto one, his lips forming a wide O around it, before drawing tighter, pushing the finger he held atop Sehun’s painfully down on the button, making the shutter fall –

And again, and again, as he rubbed his tongue over Sehun’s nipple, right through the cloth, nipping at it, before suckling softly, suctioning the dripping cloth into his mouth, and tracing circles with it winding in smaller and smaller concentric circles from the edges of his areola…to the base of his nipple…and up to the crest…. and alternatingly titling his head back, to lave at it…the friction from Taozi’s tongue, and the sharp hint of teeth making a potent cocktail of sensations with the drenched rough fabric, that had Sehun throwing his head back helplessly, the fingers of his free hand buried convulsively in Tao’s hair – as he captured everything a dozen times with the tiny black window of the cam – no, making  _Sehun_ capture it, forcing down his finger rapidly, over and over –

 

Till he abruptly moved away, bringing the phone back to examine his artistry. For a long moment he wordlessly flicked through the pics – and Sehun just gawked at him, the sudden shock of having Tao off his skin feeling too close to abandonment. ‘This is.. so…soo… notthetime… for a friggin photoshoot!!’ He gasped, still breathless with a ragged block in his throat

‘Haaaa?!!!!’ Tao mocked outrage, before holding the phone out to him, unable to play around, or goof off, at that moment, his eyes straying back and forth from the phone to Sehun’s body with an almost ravenous look ‘Look yourself.’ He growled shortly, his voice guttural

 

Sehun clicked through the pics – his heartbeat starting to pound progressively louder as a warm, creeping weak sensation spread through his limbs, forcing him to concentrate so as not to drop the phone, easily replacing the forlorn feeling of earlier - his own face looked so sexy, wanton and lustful, his fingers clenching into Tao’s hair, pushing him into his chest – Tao’s lips  _fuccck his tongue!!_ he’d pulled the shirt and positioned everything so well, shit he could clearly see the wine drunk cherry of his nipple budding out, and Tao’s tongue over it – and in this one, he was ohhfuck biting onto it, tugging it between his teeth, and –

‘ _Gnnughh!!!!_ ’ Sehun choked at the next one – the photo showed a clear, shimmering strand of thick spit trailing between the peak, of his nipple,  _his own…nipple…_ and Tao’s tongue, the pink organ held just inches away, shinning wetly… Involuntarily his throat spasmed, his lower body growing tensely heavy and full, he could feel his insides melting and pooling into his ass, his trousers  _unbearably_  tight –

He could have cried with relief the next moment as Tao latched onto him again, taking the phone away, as he began kissing him. He frantically plunged both hands into Tao’s hair before moving them quickly along the sides of his face, and down over his sides

_‘Uhhmm..’_

 

 

_‘MM..ohh..god..’_

 

 

_‘MMnn..’_

 

Lower, rubbing his fingers against his hip bones –  _GodTao, please…_

_Quickly!!!!_ Urgently as they kept kissing, their tongues entwining…licking…nipping…

 

Sehun jerked reflexively, his whole body convulsing in reaction as Tao finally slid the fingertips of one hand under his shirt.. the edges roughed from being in the gloves all day…the pulps of more than one swollen, as they stroked over his stomach… ‘Uggffohh…’ Sehun thrust his torso into Tao’s fingers, hardly aware any longer that he was still taking pics with his free hand..holding it at the level of their stomachs….  _Omg It was sogood it waslikepain,_  when he slid his thumb into his navel, before sliding upto his ribs…

 

Till Tao suddenly pushed away, breaking their kiss

 

‘Uhh??!!!’

 

Wordlessly, he scooted backwards on his knees, motioning Sehun to move back, away from him

‘…Tao!!’

 

Ignoring him, he held the phone up, focusing it on Sehun just so – and only then did he speak, his voice even more ragged than ever ‘Your clothes.’

 

‘Huh???’

 

‘Off –takethem…off’

 

Sehun gawped at him, consciousness of that little black square lens crashing back in like a fireball. He shivered with excitement as he jerked his head in acquiescence, moving back a pace on the bed, straightening up on his knees. Tao’s hands gripping the thick metal backing were trembling too, his bare chest heaving…. The phone felt slick in his palm, beads of sweat trickling between his fingers as he pushed it to ‘record’… between his legs, his arousal stuck up engorged and bloated from its tuft of hair. Sehun’s fingers fumbled blunderingly as he pushed at the topmost button of his shirt –  _fuckkit the fuccking tiny thing c’mon c’mon_  – it gave way with a pop, and he quickly moved down to the next – before -  _no, no, More!! C’mon me!!_ his breathing grew wilder as he tried to force himself to slow down -  to teasingly drawing his fingertips through the gaps between the still fastened buttons, before loosening them bit by bit… tracing down the exposed parts of his chest as he revealed them… _look at me Tao, that’s right..watch me, don’t look away_   thrusting his chest out and cupping his hands over his nipples, before teasing them, rubbing them till they swelled even bigger, the camera burning strobe-like in his mind, and behind it, that dark shadow that was Tao – his head was swimming, he felt dazed…out of control

‘UHhr’ Tao gasped from across the bed as Sehun popped a finger into his mouth, working it in and out for a moment, before moving it back to his nipple, flicking at it sharply with the gleaming tip, hard enough to make himself cry out. He couldn’t even describe it – dark, movie star hair, and creamy, alabaster skin more luscious than anything he’d ever seen; impossibly chiselled features, suddenly so bold..and…goddamit so damn  _manly_  fuck Sehun had always been the cutest, hottest person he’d ever known – but  _fuckking shit just when did he get so damn handsome_  he wanted him  _so bad_ , watching, on the screen, and simultaneously in actuality, right in front of him, the pixels crystal clear  _this is so BAD!! Ohhhhh wow_  as Sehun peeled off the still dripping, clammy shirt off his skin, rolling it down his arms slowly before dropping it onto the floor with a wet plop  _ohh fuck i actually have butterflies in my stomach_  Another bead of sweat rolled down his spine despite the cold, and Tao groaned through clenched teeth, locking them as tightly together as possible so he wouldn’t moan

 

‘Is..this okay..’ Sehun rasped out, as he stood up, his feet wide apart to balance on the bed, as he moved his fingers to the button on his trousers

 

Tao could only groan and nod in reply, his eyes stinging as he stared, not even breathing, at Sehun, who, turning slightly to one side, unhooked the button, sliding the zip down with a high pitched ring… Rolling the black material off his waist..shimmying as he pushed the tight-fitting pants down lower…over his hips – making Tao swallow sharply, his mouth turning painfully dry as the shaking motion set those round, impossibly succulent looking, juicy butt cheeks bouncing….

 

It felt  _so_ good – finally getting those pants off!! The cold air swirled around his exposed flesh, nipping sharply where the soaked cloth had left streams of water as he squeezed it off – Tao’s painful breathing tearing through the room, and Sehun smirked slightly, enjoying the way he groaned right at those moments when an extra thrill spun through him too  _You can feel it too, can’t you, we’re not even touchin, n yet_ He lifted first one leg, then another to finally kick the trousers off his ankles, bending down to pick it up, purposely throwing his butt out,  _fuck_ it was like bolts of electricity running just under the surface  _are you getting this_  The camera on him, he could almost feel it like Tao’s fingers stroking his skin, the lens gliding over his flesh..Slowly, decadently, he straightened, turning towards Tao head on, dropping his hands to his sides, tilting his neck back, baring his throat

 

Thoroughly exposed

 

Trickles of water still tracked over his skin, down his sides..spilling into his navel, and dribbling further down…

Dripping around the base of his utterly stiffened dick, seeping behind his balls

 

He took a tiny step forward, his feet sinking into the soft mattress

 

Then another…

 

And another, bringing him upto Tao, who was still holding the camera in place – ‘Ta-‘ even as he parted his lips, Tao tilted his head out from behind the phone, grinning up at him with that smirk of his, that always had his blood boiling

 

‘Go on.’ He drawled, reaching one hand to grasp Sehun’s wrist, and tug him down.

 

‘Huh??’ Sehun sank into the bed – gasping as Tao transferred his hand to his ankle to tug  _it,_ pulling, so Sehun was flat on his back, his knees spread-eagled and draped over Tao’s folded ones, as he loomed over him, sitting cross-legged between his, re-focusing the camera.

 

‘That.’ Tao jerked his head at Sehun’s cock, still smirking. ‘Weren’t you the one saying you would  _do everything?_  So go ahead! I’ll just stay here, like a good little boy, ne~~’

‘Nngghh!’ Sure enough, that smirk hadn’t lied – accompanied by Tao’s bossy voice, pronouncing something that made an incredibly complicated sensation ripping through his groin, tightening, and swelling impossibly, even more  _ahhhgod hhggg ohh god_ simultaneously loosening, wet, like he was gonna pour away that implacable streak of Tao’s he could feel himself melting like toffee…

Doing  _that_ ……..

The camera….

 

_‘Gugghhmnmmmm_ ’ Sehun gasped again, cutting himself off by biting down on his lower lip, sucking it into his teeth, even that making him moan as his fingers crept slowly down his own body….

 

Slipping over his waist…

 

A bare arm’s length away, Sehun could easily see the way Tao’s throat convulsed, and the sheen of sweat that covered his body, and the way the phone shivered…

But he didn’t relent, didn’t reach out in answer to the unspoken plea that was burning through every fibre of Sehun’s body….. And helplessly, Sehun’s fingers closed hesitantly over his own dick…

It felt like it was the first time ever, like nothing on earth,  _ohhfu fu fuuucckkkk_ his  _own_  but…

 

Above him, that clinically cold black lens

And….

His fingers convulsively tightened, and he rubbed upwards…

And then down…

 

‘Aah!’

 

‘Uhhh…uh..uh…ha..Mmmnn…’

 

His back arched, his knees tensing over Tao’s legs as he pumped harder and harder, unable to keep his voice down, even with the side of his free hand jammed against his lips, pressing them so harshly against his teeth, he could taste the sharp tinge of blood in his mouth…. Working his other hand relentlessly, caught up in the pleasure, tugging strongly whenever he reached the tip, stretching his dick out for the camera

‘Mmgg…uuhh…uh…ah..ahh..’

 

Thin dribbles of precum seeped out between his fingers, and he smeared it downwards, down to the base, and back up –

 

 

‘Aren’t..you..forgetting something..?’

 

 

‘A..huh?’ Sehun eyes flew open – he hadn’t even realised he had them squeezed tight, a lone tear spilling out, down his cheek.. It took him a moment to understand what Tao had said – his voice was so harsh, it was all but incoherent – looking up, he met his eyes, his hand stilling as he saw the fire in his expression  _OhhhGoodd fucckk Tao_ He felt so goddamn empty suddenly, like he’d pool into nothing and float away

 

‘This…one..’ Tao reached out, one finger… grazing against Sehun’s anus – ‘AHH!!!’ it was like he was shocked, his muscles jerked - contracting like they were possessed, his butt lifting right off, just at that one touch  _shiitttahhhh_   _So rigid, his finger, oh dear god_  -

 

‘Sehun.’

 

‘Ah – ah, yeah, yeah!’

 

He moved his left hand away from his mouth, reaching round – ‘Oh!’  _Wait, shouldn’t he ought to –_

 

‘Gimme.’ Reading his sudden pause perfectly, Tao leaned over, and gripping his hand, he directed his fingers into his mouth – carefully turning the phone to continue shooting as he sucked on Sehun’s fingers, pulling them in and out of his mouth – the wet soft suffocating tube-like sensation was enough to send Sehun to the verge of ecstasy, and reflexively, his right hand broke into action again, pumping up and down his dick –

But just then, Tao pulled away. ‘Don’t stop!’ he commanded, while Sehun moaned in protest, and obediently, he pushed his hand underneath himself, gently feeling around his anus with his fingers wet and coated with Tao’s saliva

 

‘Ugghhaa!!’ He’d never done this before – not to himself, it felt so weird…somehow more foreign than when Tao did it, cold, and….

‘Uummff….uuggghhh…’

 

‘Uhh…ugghhh…..’

 

He started moving his other hand too, slowly rubbing up and down his dick, as he carefully pushed his middle finger in at the back…

  
‘ **Harder!!** ’

 

‘Uhh!.’ He snapped up, freezing at Tao’s harshly rasped growl – ‘Um!’ Jerking his head, as he pushed in his index finger too, while pumping his other hand faster

 

Above him, the camera winked, and Tao leaned over it, watching him..

 

_watching him while…_

 

_He…_

 

_Did this to himself…_

 

‘AAHhhh…aahhh..ah…ahhh…’

 

His voice broke out as he pumped faster and faster, gripping tight and loose; working his fingers deep inside in and out, separating them…scissoring…

The feeling of awkwardness was now totally smothered by the pleasure  _Doing this, to himself…while Tao watched..on camera… touching himself_

It felt so… _debauched_ ….

So  _wrong_   _so fucking good_ …

‘Uhhhgg…’

 

‘Ohhhmnn… ah..’

 

‘Ohh god Tao…’

 

‘Ah – ‘

Suddenly Tao’s fingers brushed softly against his cheek, as he moved the camera in to zoom in on his face ‘Hunnie, I wanna hear your voice.’

‘MMggff!! Ba…Bu.t… - ‘

 

‘Let me hear you’ He stroked Sehun’s cheek again, his hands gentle and sweet, and it was like a bomb going off in the pit of Sehun’s stomach – ‘UUHHH…AaAAHHH…’ letting his moans and gasps spill out of his lips unchecked – not that he could have possibly controlled himself now, Sehun slammed his fist violently up and down his dick, shoving a third finger into his ass

‘AAAHhhhhaahhmmm’

 

 ‘UH….Uhhh..UH….’

 

‘UHh..Tao..

 

‘Uhh..Uhh…’

 

‘Tao…Ah…god Tao – I’m – ‘

 

‘Stop right there.’

 

Sehun shot up, as Tao suddenly clamped his fingers around his dick, cinching tightly at the base ‘AHH!! Tao..whatryoudoi..ooiing.. ‘ His voice rose high at the end, pitching wildly, as a bolt of pain shot through him – ‘Tao!! I have to – ‘

 

‘Nope.’

 

‘God, Tao!!!’ The pain was excruciating, so pleasurable, he couldn’t –

_I have to HAVE to havetohave have now please!!!!_

 

‘Sehun, are you listening to me? ‘ Tao’s voice cut through the fog that had momentarily taken over Sehun’s mind as he rocked uselessly against Tao’s inhumanely strong hold, and he struggled, his voice feeling like it was buried somewhere so deep inside his stomach he had to fight to get it out  _so full ohhgod so much need_

He managed to raise a sniffle, and Tao went on – ‘You are  _not_ going to come, do you hear me?’

‘..GguurrTao..God…fuckkk!!’

‘You are not to come.’ Tao’s voice was implacable..ruthless… as he ordered Sehun to ‘hold’, and he did, tears sparking in his eyes as moved his hand adjacent to Tao’s and squeezed tight, as tight as Tao had

‘Do  _not_ let go, okay?’ Tao slipped his hand away, and Sehun ratcheted his fingers tighter around himself. Vaguely he felt Tao get up, off the bed, and go somewhere – but he couldn’t even think, the pleasure was so immense, pounding against him, in knives, shooting right through his body from his dick, cold cold stabs  _fuckk oh god ohgodohgod_

 

‘Ta…o..ta…Tao….’

 

‘Don’t let go, Hunnie~’

Sehun blinked away the tears, twisting his head around, only to see Tao drag that tea table up, setting it beside the bed ‘Ta..o wha….’ Ignoring him, Tao went back to the sofa, grabbed Sehun’s backpack off of it, to come set it up on the table, before carefully balancing the phone atop it, going around to check the camera was focused properly

‘..TRGGAAAOOHHH!!!’ Sehun yelled Tao’s name gutturally, the ecstasy pain, like a frenzy through him –  _hecouldn’t_  ohhfucckk… _he was drownimg…drowim…drow..ning…_

_What…_

 

_Ah!!!_

 

FINALLY!!!!

_Fuck_

 

_FUUCKKKKfff_

 Finally, Tao grabbed him up, his fingers pressing into Sehun’s thighs as he lifted him up, sitting himself down on the side of the bed, facing the table – before setting Sehun down in his lap, his back against Tao’s chest.

‘AAHHRRMMMGGG!!!!!!’

 

_Offffuuggrrmmnn..fu..uuhhh_

 

_The weight of his own body – gravity – whatever, ohh fuckk.._ he didn’t think Tao had ever been this deep inside him  _he’d sunk right down over Tao’s cock_ Tao’s fingers pressed into the under-neaths of his thighs as he bodily lifted Sehun up – then down

 

‘UHHh!!! Ahh…ah…FUUCKKGGGggnnfff…’

 

 

‘GGUUUGGhrrr..m...'

 

 

‘uhh..’

 

Tao’s grunts sounded in hot bursts of air against his ear, and he tightened his hand over his cock by himself now –  _wait..want…Tao…together_

 

The pain was spasming now, convulsing in rushes and rushes and waves from his impossibly engorged dick, agonizing, ecstasy like liquid nitrogen..like fire.. half losing his mind in the pleasure, it was so intense, he couldn’t even –

Tao didn’t let up, rocking back and forth, pushing his cock deeper and deeper in, each movement slicing through Sehun unbearably  _I can’t itfeels soo good, so good…I’m…_

 

‘Uuhh…gguhh…uh… ‘

 

‘Uhh…ha..ha….’

 

The tears were streaming freely down his face now, and behind him, Tao reached over, his tongue moving against the side of Sehun’s face – ‘Uhhgg!!’ Under the almost opaque haze that was wrapping around him so tight, suddenly, he felt his heart clench at that touch – and it was pain beyond anything he was feeling physically – he twisted his head, straining back, to meet Tao’s lips, bending his free arm back to hold onto his hair

 

Their tongues rubbed together, and Tao sped up, rocking back and forth, thrusting deeper and deeper…..

 

_Tao..thats..ican’t that’s..nomore Can’t…._

 

‘Umm.’ Tao somehow seemed to have heard the screaming in his head, as he whispered in his mouth, and rapidly, he thrust in even deeper, like he was halfway upto Sehun’s chest inside, and the pleasure was so extreme, Sehun lost it for a moment, the world turning stark white and pressing against his eyelids in a blinding fury of light, as Tao worked his fingers onto his dick, against Sehun’s own, physically loosening them, before rubbing up and down the length once himself – setting off Sehun spewing so violently, his come rocketing off in a wild arc to splatter on the floor 

 

  
  


 

‘Ok, seriously, can we please go to sleep now!!’

‘Mm-hmm.’ Sehun playfully prodded his fingers into Tao’s chest. ‘What’re you getting so worked up about anyway, it’s not like you have anything to do tomorrow...’

‘Technically, it’s  _today_ – and I  _told you_ I’m the Captain, I have to be there supporting them!! Plus - I’m tired!!’

‘……even though I did all the work, and you just sat there?’ Sehun teased archly, and Tao yelped in mock outrage, before joining him in laughter.

It was a good hour later, and inexplicably, Sehun seemed to have gotten on some sort of…sugar high…or second wind, or  _something,_ Tao thought, snorting, as he cuddled upto Tao, his head on his shoulder, wrapping one arm around him – or using it to poke at him, like he was doing now

‘Oy!! Leggoo!!’ Sehun yelled, as Tao grabbed his fingers in a flash, trapping them vice-like between his own.

‘Only if you promise to be good.’

 

‘Fyy—iinnee’ Sehun finally conceded, after a couple of minutes of attempting to wriggle, yank or tug them free himself; then quickly hid both his hands safely behind his back before he stuck his tongue out at Tao ‘Spineless Wushu Captain!’

 

 

 

 

Finally, sure he had exhausted him completely  _this_  time, Tao flopped back into the bed, pulling Sehun against him  - heaving a sigh of relief as he felt Sehun’s breathing deepening.

 

‘Hey, Taozi’

‘…..No Way!!!! How are you still awake!!??!!’  

Sehun chuckled at Tao’s moan, weakly pushing his fist against the arm Tao had wrapped around him. ‘Taotao.’ He said, his voice tremulous with sleep.

‘….okay, what?’

‘I’m glad you didn’t die.’

‘……… I’m glad I didn’t die too.’ Tao joked – but turned to rub his face against the back of Sehun’s neck, planting a kiss tenderly on the side

Sehun smiled, his eyes still closed…

Before a new thought struck, and he suddenly sprang them open, half turning to face Tao. ‘So you really didn’t hear us??’

‘....huuhh..' Tao sighed, giving up. 'Nope!! I did hear my name, that’s about it’

‘…We weren’t even shouting your  _name_!! Honestly…you really didn’t hear?? ‘Laoda, Jiayou’?’

‘Nope.’ Tao grinned ‘I was totally out of it....

……………

well…’

‘Hmm?’

‘Na, it’s nothing, I was probably dreaming or something.’

‘Taotao!!’ Sehun gasped, lifting himself on his elbows so he could see Tao properly, his eyes glimmering ‘You saw heaven??!!!’

‘ _What_?? No!! No, nothing like that, idiot, I didn’t  _die_! See, I felt him hitting me – but I mean, at that moment, you’re so hyped up, you really don’t feel the pain, ya know – but it still hurts – I mean..its weird, but whatev, so anyway, then I felt myself falling, and I hit the ground – and all this blue stuff – like cotton balls – ‘

‘That was just the mat.’ Sehun narrowed his eyes, like Tao was being incredibly dense

‘Well, yeah, the mat…and I must’ve passed out for a bit – coz the next thing I heard …’

‘Yeah????’

Tao chuckled at Sehun’s eager voice ‘Sorry to disappoint, kid.’  He laughingly patted his head. ‘I just thought I heard my mom.’

‘… _your mom_??!!!’

‘Yeah..like – ‘Tao-er, wake up!! Get up!!’’

‘Whoa Ohmygawd!!’

‘What?’

‘Like, your life flashing before your eyes when you die?? Like, the way your mom wakes you up every morning - wait, are you sure it was your mom, and not, like, your dead grandmother, sending you back, coz it wan’t your time…or something..?’

‘…It sounded a lot like my mom, ehehe, that’s why, I told ya, I was dreaming!!’

‘…wow…..’ Sehun whistled through his teeth

‘Yeah..and there was like this weird smell…like..sharp –‘

‘EEEeewww!!’ Sehun burst out laughing, punching Tao. ‘You idiot Wushu idiots' sweaty feet on the mat, eeewwwww!!!’

‘It wasn’t that!!’ Tao clicked his tongue, before giggling along. ‘Ok, well, whatever, shuttup now, okay!!’ He pulled Sehun back against his chest, tugging the covers up around them both. ‘Goodnight!’

‘Fyyiinnee.’ Sehun drawled, wiggling about against Tao, till he’d gotten comfortable. ‘Goodnight.’

 

 

 

‘Taozi!’

‘OHSEHUNI’MGONNA – ‘

Sehun giggled, cheekily twisting to plant a kiss on the tip of Tao’s nose. ‘I love you.’

‘Ohh…’ Tao deflated like a pin pricked balloon, before chuckling himself, and reaching to peck Sehun’s cheek. ‘I love you too.’ 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

Okay, seriously, i swore before writing i'd definitely keep it short..and....then...shit got out of hand. [pls no one do a word count!! T^T] lol 

in my defense, i'm suffering an extreme case of death by exo ._. lol

  

    

//istg i'm psychic lolol i wrote this chp n like, the very next taohun moment we gt is ~~~ 

//weeks ltr, bt wtf

  

and remmbr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNXvT-QEgtg

 

*venting before  _i'm_ the one whose remains need to be shovelled up 

 


	22. Chapter Twenty One

...’Li Kai ni wo cai fan xian zi ji..wo ai xiao de yan jing..Liu guo lei xing duo bu guo de bao feng yu…~~~’’

The whole bus joined in, all the club members plus 20 odd spectators who’d come for the second ‘spine-tingling day’ of the Tournament   yelling at the top of their lungs as they shouted their way through JJ Lin’s latest hit, laughing their heads off at each other – till, as if by some unspoken pact, everyone gradually broke off, falling silent one by one so only Lu Han and Bo Xian were left, their pure, beautiful voices flowing through the scales in rich, glossy tones, swollen and heart-wrenchingly gorgeous…

Hidden between their thighs, Sehun reached his hand into Tao’s, slipping his fingers into his, and Tao squeezed back, leaning his head against his shoulder for a moment, joining in as the song drew to a close, and cheers rang out for the superbly talented duo. The First Years, who hadn’t heard them before, ran up the aisle to Lu Han and Bo Xian, exclaiming loudly in their excitement -

‘Wow!!!!!!!’

‘Omg, I have goosebumps!’

‘I’m  _crying_!!’

‘Lu -ge, you guys really  _have_ to join the choir stage for the Fes!!’

 ‘Bo Xian-Ge, you too!!  _Definitely_!! ‘

‘HAAA??!! Shuttit, you idiots, who dya think is leading the Choir, anyway??!!’

‘Eeehh… _Ge_?’

‘That’s right!’ Bo Xian playfully wacked Minsoo over the head with his trophy –

The Awesome Threesome, as Tao kept calling Bo Xian and Chan Ye and Minsoo, had indeed performed awesomely – they’d pulled in second in Group  - though everyone, led by Chen Laoshi, had insisted it was only because the judges felt like they couldn’t  _help_ but give the prize to the team that included someone so clearly dedicated to ‘wushu’ as Chan Ye ….  to go to  _such_  lengths to give an accurate rendition of their historically-inspired performance….. [the reworked version of the costume he’d ended up with had still been really  _really_   short, with the colourful tassels smack at the most…awkward place possible, truly reminiscent of the half-clothed brigands and bandits they were portraying]…but inspite of that – plus one sticky moment, when the tip of Minsoo’s spear had got caught in between the gaping catches at the back of his shirt, Chan Ye had, as usual, thrown himself heart and soul into the performance, wowing everyone as he theatrically took on Bo Xian and Minsoo in their dramatic, exaggerated, choreo - Which ultimately turned more real than rehearsed, when Bo Xian, suddenly taking umbrage with the final scene when he was supposed to fall and play dead under Chan Ye’s feet, decided to go all out and wage an actual campaign for the crown. Unfortunately for him [and his chances of impressing the hot number 7 chick he’d been eye-balling all day], the result was the same – as the crowd gave them a standing ovation, and the scoreboard flashed out their impressive results, he was, true to plan, grinning out weakly from under Chan Ye’s faux-goatskin pointed and curled shoe.

 

‘And Lu –Ge too?’

‘I can’t – I’m in the rock band’ Lu Han interjected, as they started fantasising loudly about how awesome it would be to have these crazy-talented Seniors in the choir together – a bombshell that had an almost comic silence fall over the entire bus all at once, before the mushroom cloud of excitement rose more potent than ever - ‘Eeehhh??!!’    ‘Really??!!’      ‘That’s so cool!!!!!!!’

‘Whoa!!! I  _love_ Bandmen!!!!!’

‘Omg, Lu Han, what are you playing??’

‘Drums!! Def drums, ne!!’

‘No way!! I bet he’s lead vocal, right?’

‘Ehehe.’ Lu  Han smirked, and winked, drawing even more breathless squeals from the girls who’d all flung themselves around his seat, shoving the club members roughly out of the way. ‘It’s a secret – I wouldn’t wanna spoil the surprise~~ ‘

‘Eeehhh!!’       ‘That’s so mean!!’     ’c’mon, tell us!!!’      ‘No Fair!!’

‘Waa~~ bands are so cool, ne!!!’

‘Harrummph!!’ Chen Laoshi, who’d been sniffling disgruntledly ever since the conversation took a turn away from his precious Choir, finally managed to produce one that had everyone looking around wildly for the lost camel  - before falling about laughing helplessly

‘Sorry, Laoshi, the choir is really cool too!!’

‘Fuck yeah!!!! It’s gonna be waayy better than any band!!’ Bo Xian cut in, thrusting his chin out and pursing his lips

‘Bo Xian, Language!!’ Yixing Laoshi snapped – before slowly breaking into a grin, showing off that dimple that was so handsome, yet so rarely seen, it had become something of a school legend. ‘Besides…the Band is totally gonna be the  _best_ performance of the Fes.’

For a moment, the combination of deadly dimple, arresting smile, plus casual speech held everyone stunned – then cries broke out as his words sunk in – ‘Laoshi!!! Waitaminute..’

‘Yixing Laoshi!! Are you..??’

‘Omg, Lu  Haaannn!!!’ Deciding on the easier, less intimidating alternative, everyone turned to the boy who was lounging in his seat, his feet up on the rims of one in front in true ‘rocker’ style, with one arm flung in studied negligence over Xiumin’s shoulders, and toothy smirk beaming from ear to ear

‘Lu  Han!! Is Yixing Laoshi the Band in-charge Teacher??!!!!’

Lu Han took his time – enjoying the tension, before jerking his head in affirmation

‘Ommgg!!!!!!!!!!!!’

‘No WAY!!’

‘Hey!!!’ Chan Ye cut in, as the sounds of disbelief and shock echoed through the bus. ‘Xing Laoshi is  _obviously_  the Band-In-Charge!!! You should hear him – he’s  _awesome_ at guitar!! Plus,’ he continued, counting off on his fingers ‘He can sing  _awesomely_ well, he knows  _exactly_ how to set up the rhythm section, he plays the keyboard like..stunningly - and…and basically  _any_ instrument for that matter!!! And he even composes songs himself!!!’

‘….really?’   ‘Ehh….’ Disbelief crystal clear on their faces, the Cheer club members tossed their glossy ponytails in synchronicity, sticking their noses up with all the air of being too smart to fall for another one of Chan Ye’s pranks.

‘Huuhhhh?!! It’s true!!!!’

‘Yeah right.’

‘You’ll get it from Laoshi if you keep playing like that, Chan ye’

‘Besides..how could  _you_ even know??’

‘Ehehe.’ Chan Ye smiled superciliously, fluttering his fingers in a pompous manner. ‘You happen to be talking to the awesome rhythmtastic percussion specialist, aka Drummer, of the Band.’

‘…………’

‘….’

 

‘….’

 

‘EEEEEEEHHHHHH!!’

‘WHATTT??!!!’

‘No WAY!!’

‘It’s true~~ ‘ Bo Xian shrugged ruefully, to the kids who’d turned to  _him_  for confirmation. ‘Even though I  _told_ him to join the choir – it wud’ve been awesome, we could have actually pulled out a spectacular acapella arrangement if Chan Ye had been there – ‘

‘GE!!!  _That is soo not the point here!!!’_

‘Yeah!!!! Chan Ye’s in the  _band_!!!!!!!!’

‘ _As the drummer!!!’_

‘I didn’t even know you played!!!!’

‘….wow…’

 

‘Wait!! BoXian-ge and Chan Ge are going up against each other??’

‘ _Again_!!’ the girls happily chorused, as Chou continued, ‘Ehehe, Ge, you can get your revenge!!!’

‘Yeah!!!’

‘Children, children…’ Xing Laoshi cut in, conciliating. ‘Its not a competition, both the band and the choir will be performing for the sake of the school….both have to work hard to make a good Festival for everyone, right?’ He smiled again, flashing that dimple, and continued, airily raising his eyebrows at Chen Laoshi. ‘Of course, the Band will have to work extra hard to support the shortcomings of the…. _choir_ …’ 

 

The yells and insults and opposition and defence, accusations and laughter that greeted this comment – as well as pretty much the entire preceding conversation, washed unheard over the left-side seat, three rows from the back where, totally lost in their own world, Sehun was happily pouring out all his plans right into Tao’s ear in breathy whispers, the close confines of the worn cushion allowing him to worm his shoulder almost into Tao’s chest, as his fingers playfully rubbed over Tao’s knuckles

‘And what about school, genius?’ Tao grinned

‘Screw school!!’ Sehun flicked his hair ‘You worry too much about school, Class-Rep Gexia~~’

‘Haa??!!’ Tao laughed, his voice deep and low and throaty. ‘For your information, its been  _ages_ since I attended classes, what with the practice for the tourn and stuff…I’m  _so_ behind~~’

‘.....Nerd!’

This time, it was Tao who flicked at Sehun’s parrot locks. ‘Hey!! I  _have_  to study, k, coz I have to get into a good Uni – and then get a really good job, I mean, how much do you think I’d need to earn, to keep you in satisfactory amounts of hair-care supplies?’

‘….ohh..well…when you put it like  _that_ …’ Sehun giggled, his whole body executing a little wiggle in delight at this receipt of Tao’s long term ‘Goals for the Future’ – and at these close quarters, it was sufficient to strip all humour from Tao’s voice, as he roared sotto voice ‘ _Stoppit!!’_

‘Ehh?? What?’ Sehun turned big, wide open ‘innocent’ eyes up at him – the little golden flecks glinting in the wintry evening light ‘I didn’t do  _anything_!’ Holding Tao’s exasperated glare, he slowly, purposefully, slid his tongue out to stroke wetly over his lower lip, finishing off with a nip and suck, as he teasingly pulled the gleaming coral between his teeth

As Tao started listing all the ways in which he was gonna torture Sehun to death – his imaginings growing more and more outrageous as each was met only with gasps of absolute anticipation from his incorrigible boyfriend, the rest of the bus continued excitedly discussing the different events they were planning for the Winter Fes.

 

The Carnival atmosphere that had descended upon the entire student body for the past few weeks had passed by the Wushu Club unnoticed like the proverbial thief in the night – so busy had they been with their non-stop practicing, the roof could have fallen in over the Main Building, and they wouldn’t even have glanced up from their 1000 repetitions of ‘Stance-Twosteps-Kick-Swing. Stance-TwoSteps-Kick-Swing’…  - and they were more than ready to fix the deficit, especially given their new-found intimacy with members of the Cheer club, and the In-crowd in general – and enthusiastically, still on the high from their sweeping success at the Provincial Tourn, they set about with vim to plot a similar triumph at the Fes.

 

Outside, the evening gradually drew its shroud over the sky, and the shafts of sunlight trembling into the bus grew far and few…the tangles of electric wires strung across the sides of the road seemed to hang heavy, abandoned even by the hardy ravens as the cold deepened. Every now and then a street lamp winked on, pooling frigid light across the tar, drenching the shadows in even more intoxicating mystery in contrast…. As dusk streaked over the sky, its colours musked by the hazy leaden clouds, inside the bus the voices quietened one by one, and everyone broke off into little groups, Lu  Han gesticulating persuasively as he described something to Xiumin, his expressions that of a kid who had done something he was proud of – something rather naughty, but which he knew he would get away with; the two teachers were still stuck in an argument loop over which was better, the Choir or the Band; Chan Ye and Bo Xian held court over a mixed group of Wushu and Cheer club members, all of whom were hanging onto their every word; Over in the last seat, the senior Cheer members had huddled together, excitedly sharing all the latest gossip, mostly all about the boys in that very bus itself….

 

When a squeal from Minsoo shattered the peace.

‘ _Omg_ , _that is so cute!!!!’_

 

‘Huh?’

‘Huuhh!??’

Heads turned, craning to look at him – then followed his pointing finger, which picked out the left side seat, three rows from the back – where, exhausted from the previous night of…….strenuous activity, plus lack of sleep, Tao and Sehun had dozed off, heads leant against each other, Tao’s arm having come to lay wound about Sehun’s waist

‘oh…my…God,  _the idiots_!! _’_ Chan Ye growled in a low voice – glancing over in surprise as, from across the aisle, Lu  Han nodded emphatically, echoing his words – before the silence that had descended over the entire crowd was broken by Xiumin, who enthusiastically let out a squeal even more high pitched than Minsoo’s had been– ‘Omg you’re right, that’s  _so_ cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!’

Immediately, the momentary tension that had almost formed was snapped, and everyone started giggling and yelping at how adorable the picture indeed was, the girls all ‘Ooh’-ing and ‘Aah’-ing over the strangely irresistible sight -Tao, his muscles clearly defined and formidable even in repose, the impossibly long, seductive line of his neck, the tan that somehow bronzed his skin even in the midst of winter, his long dark lashes smouldering behind the black frames of his spectacles, the long, sexy fingers that lay over Sehun’s stomach……Sehun, curling into him like a wild rose about an oak, his delicate pixie features still sparkling incredible allure, the quiet rise and fall of his chest sharpening those collar bones that drew such sharp wings under his skin, which dewed milk and cream, the ridiculously vivid hair fringing against Tao’s cheek…

 

‘Waaa!! Look at them!!!’

‘It’s so cute, I could  _die_!!’

‘Me too.’ Bo Xian quipped, with a totally different tone and expression. ‘Talk about sickeningly sweet, ugghh!!’

‘ _Me too!!_ ’ Mai growled from the seat right in front of him, with yet another divergence in emotion. ‘Ugghh!!!’

‘Ne, ne!! Don’t you think…they look…kinda  _hot_?!’ One of the cheerleaders squeezed Eiri’s arm, and she shrieked back a ‘Yeah!!’, fisting her hands over her mouth in glee – as did the rest of the gaggle, almost jumping up and down in delight. ‘They look…. _sexy!!!_ ’

‘I know riiiighht!!! Can you imagine….if….’

‘Omg, Kyaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!’

‘you mean like….. _that_??!!’

‘ _Woowwww_!!!!!!’

 

‘I dunno…but really, Duizhang looks  _adorable_!!!’

‘Exactly!!’

 

‘Shusshhhh!!!’ Chan Ye, who’d bounced right up to the back, hastily hushed the excitement, as he mischievously pulled out his phone. ‘Aaannd…say cheese, Duizhang~~’ He pronounced under his breath, angling his phone just so, and ceremoniously pushed the clicker, as all about him, everyone struggled to stifle their giggles, quietening each other.

 

The sound of the ‘click’ pierced right through Tao’s coma, resonating with some half dream, half memory, part fantasy he was having, and his eyes flew open – only to spring up out of his seat the next moment, hastily pulling his arm out from around Sehun, yelling at Chan Ye, who was waving his phone gleefully at him, and at pretty much everyone in general, who’d burst into elated cheers and Hurrahs

‘But Duizhang looked just  _adorable_ ’ Chan Ye drawled, holding the phone up out of Tao’s reach, making him spit curses at him, heavily interspersed with dire warnings. ‘Give it here, you idiot!!!!’     ‘Na-ah! I  _have_ te get this up on weibo, its  _priceless_!!’      ‘….I SWEAR TO GOD, Chan Ye, I will  _kill_ you – ‘

‘Whazzgoinon..’ Sleepily, Sehun finally cracked an eye open, blearily rubbing his lids at the sight of the two squabbling boys and the rest of the bus that was rolling about in laughter. ‘Ah, Sehun!! Look!!’ Circumventing Tao’s outstretched hand, Chan Ye managed to slide his ‘bloody snake’ limbs, as Tao was cursing, around to hold his phone out to Sehun.

‘..Eeehh!! But this is soo cute!!!!!!!’ Sehun burst out squealing reflexively as he pursed his lips happily at the picture. ‘ehehe, Tao, lookit this, its so adorable, when did you guys –… …huh?’ He frowned at his boyfriend, who had slumped back into his seat, burying his face in his hands as he muttered ‘I give up’, to the background of laughter that now extended even through the few people on the bus who  _didn’t_ know the back story, while Lu Han sobbed into Xiumin’s shoulder, and Minsoo and Lee literally sprawled over the floor, clutching their stomachs.

‘Aw, come now, Fearless Leader, don’t be a grouch, c’mon, I’ll send it to ya, gimme your phone.’ Even as he spoke, Chan Ye looped his fingers into Tao’s chest pocket, which had gaped open obligingly as he bent forward in defeatism, pulling it out before Tao could realise what was happening.

For a moment of stunned silence, the memory of last night’s……. events... flashed through both their minds, Tao gaping at Chan Ye, and Sehun plucking spasmodically at his wrist -  the next, they both leapt up, yelling incoherently as they grabbed at the shocked Chan Ye. ‘No!!! NoStopnowait - Don’t want - No Its fine You keep it -No!!’

‘….Huh?’ For a moment, he just stared at their panic bewildered…. but slowly, light dawned, and smirking, he held the phone up over his head, out of reach. ‘Why~~ What’s up…is there something on here I can’t see~~’

 

‘Ooooo-ooo-ohhhh!!’

Everyone turned to the First Years [plus Lu Han] who’d all burst out in juicy anticipation, Tao almost snarling in exasperation.

‘What, it’s a good point~~’

 

‘Aarughh!!’ Dismissing them as unimportant at this tense, crucial juncture [but thoroughly determined to give them their due later on], Tao turned back to Chan. ‘Just give it back!!’

 

‘Yeah, seriously, Chan Ye, Give it up, or else!!’

 

‘Ha!! Or else what~~’

 

‘……..’ Sehun scowled up at the smirking 6 foot plus Wushu champ. ‘Or else Tao will kick your ass.’

 

 

‘Oooooooo-ooooo-ooohhh!!’

 

‘He wil- I mean,  _I will,_ and it will be  _all_ of your asses _!!’_ Tao glared.

 

 

Five minutes and as many near-murderous attacks later, Xiumin had wrested the Samsung branded source of contention from Chan Ye and tossed it back to Tao; and peace reigned once more, everyone having settled back into their seats, albeit with the cheer club now throwing sidelong glances at Tao and Sehun every now and then, hoping for another spicily thrilling scene, Sehun whispering and gesturing ‘secretly’ to Chan Ye to infrared the pic anyway, it was super adorable, and Tao grimacing at his side, still far from mollified – till Sehun, having gotten finally gotten the pic, pulled out Tao’s phone and swiped it open to send the pic to him, only to find the wallpaper set to a rather cute pic of him biting into an ice cream.

‘TAO!! Ah-I mean,  _Tao!’_ He whispered, giggling. ‘Wha-when did you take this!?!’

‘Hmm?’ Tao leaned over, like he had no idea what Sehun was talking about, before finally breaking out into a grin. ‘That time you said you wanted that chocolate chip again, but the store was closed, so we went all the way to the pier..’

‘Oh! Yeah, yeah, and you had the milkshake with the weird tasting cherries, and … _man,_ I really feel like having ice cream now, a whole giant huge box full!!’ He suddenly stopped drawing his hands out in demonstration, to turn and waggle a finger at Tao ‘ _All by myself_!’

‘….’ Tao giggled helplessly, remembering how they usually ended up, everytime they got tubs of ice cream home – Sehun was right, Tao  _did_ end up eating most of the actual ice cream himself… It was only fair to switch every once in a while, and let his boy do the…… licking and suckling, right~~    ‘..That…. can be arranged…’

Sehun joined in, giggling gleefully in anticipation. ‘Does that mean you’re coming over tonight after all~~~’

‘ _Hunnie_!! I can’t, you know I can’t, I have ta go home – stoppit, don’t look at me like that!!

…………….

 

………

 

 Sehun-ah! I’m serious, don’t  _do_ that!!’

Sehun held his gaze a beat longer, struggling to bite down his laughter and keep his eyes gleaming poignant – and as expected, it didn’t take very long for Tao to cave completely, rock, stone and boulder. 

 

‘Okay, alright, I’ll sneak out, but I  _have_ to go back like,  _really_ early in the morning, and sneak back in before – ‘

‘Haaa!!!!’ Laughing triumphantly, Sehun lounged back in his seat, bumping his shoulder against Tao’s as he flicked through the surprisingly vast collection of pics of him Tao had apparently managed to sneak at one point or the other, and that wasn’t even including last night’s….

Pics of him about the house… just hanging out…one with him trying on Tao’s specs when he thought he wasn’t looking,  another of him with an apron around his waist, attempting to cook…  A whole collection of photos that looked – even to himself – like a photoshoot in a magazine, with him all….’dressed up’ for a date, with elegant beach/city/park backgrounds….

 

‘…Why do you even have so many anyway..’ he growled, blushing and reflexively covering his lips shyly with his hand

 

‘Ehh….i dunno…coz you look good I guess~’ Tao shrugged nonchalantly, leaning over him to zoom in on a photo of him looking up at a Christmas tree, the lights softly muted, his partial reflection musk in a shop window, his skin magically embracing the gold.. ‘See? Like…a model or something’

 

_Omfg, This IDIOT, this was soo damn embarrassing!!!_

 

‘Ugghhh…you…freak, I don’ even wanna think about what you’re doing with all these’ He said gruffly, tryina sound offended – difficult, given his excessive delight at the moment.

‘…. _EEhhh_!! No I’m not!!!! I…just…’

‘What!?’

‘Oh..ya know… to..ya know..i can look at them when we’re not together and shit…’

Snapping his lips to, before the budding ‘Ohorat!’ could burst from them, Sehun raised a stern eyebrow at Tao .’Why, coz otherwise you’ll forget how I look!? Hmph!’ He turned back to phone, moving through the gallery. ‘Where are you even going, anyway, so we’re not gonna be ‘together’’

‘Eh?! Ah!! Nowhere, obviously, duh, where would I go without you, no, no, I mean…ya know….’

‘What!?’

‘…Okay, yeah, fine, like in the shower or when I’m in bed alone.’

 

‘ _Grucgh!_ ’ Sehun choked as Tao, giving up, deadpanned, giggling through his watering eyes as he punched his thigh ‘ _Shuttyourass!!_ ’

 

‘….When I wake up early in the morning by accident…and…ya know, there’s no warm…

 

Soft….

 

juicy-in-all-the-right-places

 

body next to me to – ‘

 

‘Ghurghfff  _Huang Zitao_ , stop!!!’ Sehun wiggled helplessly, snorting with laughter  - Tao, having gotten into the conversation with  _waay_ too much enthusiasm, was punctuating each word by brushing his fingers against Sehun’s butt on the seat next to him, ending with a couple of sharp pinches, that……

 

Finally managing to force himself to pull a severe expression, he squirmed away, scolding at Tao – ‘Stoppit!! I’m busy here!! Go do your own work, you naughty boy!! You shouldn’t disturb people when they’re busy. What bad manners!!’ Pulling to the window, and studiously ignoring Tao’s laughter, Sehun turned back to the phone, making his way happily through the set – and it wasn’t long before a smug smile twisted his lips, and he giggled, super pleased with himself.

‘..Ha ha ha… and they say he’s difficult to beat~~ ‘ He crowed to himself, as pic after pic piled evidence on just how thoroughly he’d managed to win over the.. undefeated-wushu-champ

‘What?’

‘Oh, nothing~~’ Sehun, realising he’d spoken aloud, turned to waggle his fingers at Tao.’ You ~ are ~ just ~ soooo ~  _into_  me~~’

 

‘……………

……..

Give that back!!’ Tao snatched his phone back, and stuffed it into his inside pocket, buttoning his overcoat firmly for good measure. ‘And I am soo not!’

 

‘Bwahaha, says the guy with the  _Sehun_ wallpaper~~’ Sehun teased, tracing his fingertips secretly against the side of Tao’s thigh.

 

 

‘Ugghh. Why don’t they just hold up a giant flashing sign, for fuck’s sake.’ Over in the front, Bo Xian slammed back into his seat beside Chan Ye, unable to take the sight of the two heads bent together, and the though too-low-to-be-heard- still- _clearly-_ flirtatious-conversation any longer.

‘I know right! Talk about being obvious!’ Chan Ye agreed, stretching his long arms till his shoulders popped, and teasingly hitting Xian’s head in the process, making him snarl and swipe at him.

‘Sure, they’re idiots, but the thing with the phone was taking it a bit too far, that was out of line, dude.’ Xiumin cut in, narrowing his eyes at Chan Ye from across the narrow aisle, as he wrapped both arms around Bo Xian, hugging him in conciliation. ‘If there  _was_ something on there – I mean,  _clearly_ there was, if someone saw it…’

‘Ha!?? What, like anything I did was any more… like,  _announcing_  it than  _that_!’ Chan Ye jerked his head exasperatedly towards the back, where Sehun was pointing something out to Tao outside the frosting glass, and Tao had leaned over him to see, their bodies pressed up  _way_ too close than technically necessary.

 

‘Ugghh, I know right… after all the trouble we go to, to  _help_ them, they just - …………. WAITAMINUTE!!!’ Lu Han gasped a long, sharp whistle, cutting himself off as he leaned over Xiumin from his seat beside the window, to gape at Chan Ye and Bo Xian. ‘You  _Know_??!!!!!!!!!’

 

‘………….AH!!!! You guys know too!!?????’

 

 

‘alkjdfhjkYEAHHH!!! Since like, forever!!!! How did you – ‘

 

‘Wow!!!! We knew from like, the tourn practice time, how did – ‘

‘WOW!!! I can’t believe you guys know!!!’

 

 

‘Know what?’ Eiri, who’d been eavesdropping on their conversation with rising interest, finally cut in, unable to hide her curiosity.

 

‘…….er….’ The four boys turned guilty eyes up at her, swallowing visibly.

‘Umm…nothing….?’

‘yeah, yeah, we were just… it’s nothing.’

 

‘…eeehhh…c’mon! Its clearly not  _nothing_ , tell me!’

 

‘no, really, its nothing, just…umm…’

 

‘Duizhang‘sjoiningtheFashionShow… for.. the Fes.’

 

‘Eeehhh??? Really?? Zitao is?’ Eiri’s excited exclamation was enough to drown out the startled ‘huh’ Bo Xian let out on response to Chan Ye’s blurted out excuse, especially once Xiumin quickly joined in in confirmation, saying how Tao was gonna model for their class, but she couldn’t tell anyone, it was a  _big_ secret -  it was to be a surprise.

 ‘Oh, of course!!’ Gleefully, her eyes bulging, the third year nodded vigorously, before quickly diving to the back of the bus to share the news with the rest of her Club.

 

‘……..phew.’

‘Good thinking!’

‘Thanks, wow, that was close!’

‘Yeah, sometimes it’s almost like you have brain tissue.’ Bo Xian teased, digging his elbow into Chan Ye's side, before raising a superior eyebrow at Lu . ’Man, you guys have  _no_  idea, we’ve been saving their asses like that for  _ages_!’

‘Us too!!! Like..last night, with Xing Laoshi, if it hadn’t been for me…….‘

‘Oooohhh yeah, ehehehe, that was fun!! I bet they had a good time -  Duizhang’s been yawning  _all_   _day_ ~~’

‘…..eeeeeeewwww shuttup!!!!’ Bo Xian smacked Chan Ye's shoulder, that he was wiggling up and down suggestively. 

‘Wa-ah-at! It’s true, he was  _totally_  nodding off all through the closing ceremony, too!’

‘He  _could’ve_ just been tired!!’

‘That’s  _exactly_ what I said!!!  _T..I..R..E..D…_ ~~’ Chan Ye chortled, and unable to resist, Bo Xian joined in, shaking his head. ‘The worst part’s your probably right…..man, when we were like, in line on the mat for the Speeches and stuff? He was practically wobbling in place, its a good thing we were around him!’

‘Yeah!!’

 Xiumin, who’d been frowning in thought, lost in what looked like some serious calculation for most of the preceding conversation, suddenly interrupted - ‘Wait, when you say ‘we’, you mean you two, right?’

 

‘Yeah, us… the club….’

 

‘……….’

 

 

‘ _Huuhhhhhh??????_ ’

‘The ‘club’?’

 

‘ Yeah….The Wushu club’

 

‘……….whoa….’

 

‘Wait.…Like…the  _whole_ club??!!!!!!’

 

‘Yeah!’

 

‘…..  _everyone_ knows??!!! How?!!!!’

 

‘Ha!!! You mean, how come everyone  _else_ doesn’t know by now, the way they’r carrying on..’

‘Yeah, wow, talk about lack of subtlety, they’ve been whacking everyone over the head with it for like, a  _month_!!’

 

‘Omg….’

 

‘Wait, like, when you say the  _whole_ club, you mean..like..the other years too?!!’

 

‘Uh-huh!!  _Everyone_!’

 

‘…Wow!!  _How did_  you FindOut???’

 

‘Oh, well…..people kept seeing them around outside..ya know, we usually get back late coz of practice, so a bunch of people head out to eat and stuff like,  _really_ late..’

 

‘You mean…..  _outside_ outside?’

 

‘Yeah!! The pier…shopping district…wherever..’

 

‘ _Whoa_!! That’s so careless!!!! In public!!!’

 

‘My  _Gawd_ , can’t they like, get a room or something – ‘

 

‘…………..aaahh~~~ you guys don’t know~~~’

 

‘??’

 

‘Oh, they’re living together~~’

 

‘WHATTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry –  _what_??!!’ Lu Han hissed, lowering his voice as the others all shushed him hastily

 

‘Ooooh~~ yeah~~’

 

‘One of our third years lives near Sehun – apparently Tao’s been staying there!’

 

‘…… _Holy crap!’_  Xiumin puffed his cheeks in awe – at sixteen, the thought of actually  _living_  together with your significant other was shockingly scandalous – and when that significant other was a  _guy_ as well…

 

‘ _Their parents know??!!_ ’

 

‘Yeah, omg, I can’t imagine, have you met Zitao’s parents, they’d  _freak_!’

 

‘…I dunno, I don’t think so..’

 

‘Yeah, coz Sehun’s living alone, right..’

 

‘..Ehhh, really??’

 

‘..  _yeah_!! You didn’t know!???’

 

‘Whoa, aren’t you guys like, best friends, I mean, he even told you about… _that_ right..’

 

‘Eh?’

‘About…ya know… _that_ ’ Bo Xian waved vaguely towards the back, where Sehun was whispering something in Tao’s ear…which he apparently thought was located halfway down his neck.

 

‘….Ehhhh no no no way, he didn’t  _tell_ us, Baozi n I saw them…ya know..in school…’

‘……… _In_ school?? Whoaaehehe, what were they even  _doing??’_

 _‘_ Ohh yeah, remember Chan Ye, we saw them too, outside the Club hall – ‘

‘Na, man, this was in the Arts room!’

 

 

‘….whoa…’ Bo Xian whistled under his breath. ‘They sure get around, don’t they..’

 

‘Hmph! You can say that again, I saw them in the entrance hall, outside the corridor to the Sick Bay.’

 

The voice that cut in had all four boys gaping about in shock, as Mai stuck her head up, over the seat right in front of Chan Ye.

 

‘……………………..’

‘ _Omg, **you**  know too_??!!’

‘Man!! Is there  _anyone_ left who doesn’t?!!’

 

‘…probably not, other than that group’ Mai sniffed disdainfully towards the back, where the Cheer club was still excitedly discussing the prospect of seeing Tao catwalk down the runway in the adventurous and prone-to-malfunction homemade designer wear.

 

‘Oh, yeah, remind me to tell Zitao he’s modelling..’ Xiumin breathed, before turning back to Mai. ‘So, you saw them in the  _entrance hall_??!!’

 

‘Uh-huh. At first…’

 

‘At first??!’

‘Yeah.’

 

‘………………..’

 

 

‘….ANNNDD then???’

 

‘..Well…then Tao-jun told me himself.’ She flicked her glossy brown curls over her shoulder, before settling back down, seemingly unaware of the bombshell she’d dropped.

 

‘…………….’

‘EEEEHHHHH!!!!!!!!!’

‘WHOAwhOAWHOA!!’

‘He  _told_ you!?? In actual… _words_??’

‘Uh-huh.’ Mai stuck her nose up superiorly at the boys who’d scrambled over to push their gaping faces in on her. ‘Coz…like, to ask me not to tell anyone and blah..Ha! Like  _I’m_ a gossip, who doesn’t even have the sense to keep my mouth shut about something like that!!’

 

‘…………..whoa……’

 

‘man, I can’t….he actually  _told_ you told you?’

 

‘Yup.’

 

‘like…’hey Mai, I’m going out with Sehun’?’

 

‘Yup. Well..kinda like this whole speech about how he’s in love with him  and stuff..going on and  _on_ totally nauseatingly about how awesome Sehun is, [ _yesh_ ] _,_ how he’s never felt like this before…. not to let anyone know, people ‘might not take it well’, and it would ‘break his heart if something were to come between them’…..’

 

‘…. _whoa_!!’

‘ohhman..’

 

‘It’s like… _official_ , right!’

 

‘…well…well, what did he tell you guys when you found out?!’

 

‘…Eehhh?? No no no~~’

‘Uh-uh’ ‘No way’ Chan Ye and Bo Xian shook their heads dismissively. ‘He doesn’t have a clue we know~’

 

‘What, like the whole entire club managed to keep it a secret that they know!?’

‘Umm, Ye-eah~~’ Chan Ye jerked his head in reply to Lu Han’s incredulous query. ‘What about you guys, Sehun doesn’t know you know, right?’

 

‘Nope~~’

 

‘………’

‘….oohhh….’

As the three of them [Lu, Chan Ye and Bo Xian] exchanged gleeful raised eyebrowed looks at the possibilities that that raised, and Xiumin sighed, shaking his head at the side, over at the back Tao and Sehun had randomly started a game of thigh-wrestling, twisting about in their seats to interlock their legs together, a sight that had the girls in the back falling over themselves in excitement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Hruh!’ Sehun gasped and jumped, before hurriedly huddling down under his book again, before Chen Laoshi could notice. Behind him, he could hear the ‘click click’ as Tao played with his pencil, pushing the lead in and out again – while running his sock-ed foot up and down the back of Sehun’s calf.

‘ _Stoppit!!_ ’ He hissed, jerking back long enough to jostle Tao’s desk, before turning to industriously note down the logarithm they were working on into his copy in bold letters – and desperately trying to ignore the foot that was now curving up the inside of his leg, to the accompaniment of the clicking of the pencil that grew more and more suggestive the longer he listened to it.

 

_In and out.._

 

_in and out…_

 

 

_inandoutandinandout –_

 

AArrghhh!!!!

 

_Honestly!! It was way better when Tao was not here, ha, He couldn’t believe he’d been annoyed with the whole tourn practice thing, he’d been wrong – having Tao sitting in class behind him was the absolute worst!!_

 

 

‘Excuse me..Laoshi!’

‘Hmmm?’

‘Sorry, umm, the Dance members are wanted…’ The first year who’d stuck his head in nervously licked his lips as all the suddenly  _really_  tall, grown-up looking Seconds glanced up from their notebooks at him [ _wow, why the hell was Wei-ge in the first row, this was awful!!_ ]

‘Ehh! Why  _now_ , at this time, didn’t they announce practices were only to be held in the afternoons?!’

‘Ermm…’

‘Humph! Okay, go, who all are performing in the dance stage – Sehun? Xiumin..’

‘Yes, Laoshi!’

‘Ah, yes Laoshi!’

‘Umm..Laoshi, they.. havetobringtheirbagstheyhavethefittingforthecostumes’ Little Xiulan blurted out at a rush, making Chen Laoshi smile, and struggle not to laugh.

‘Okay, okay, you two take your bags.’

‘Umm!’ Jerking his head politely to Chen Laoshi’s directive, Sehun unhooked his backpack off the back of his chair, bending as he retrieved the books from inside his desk to whisper to Tao ‘Sorry…looks like we can’t have lunch together…’

‘Um… I’ll be with the Council after school, you heading back home?’

‘No, no, I’ll wait for you!’

‘….Na, I’ll prol be late, I’ll text you kay’

‘Sehun! Hurry up!!’

‘Ah! Yes, sorry, Laoshi!’ He quickly slung his bag over his shoulder, and hurried out pausing only to hiss ‘Just come over when you’re done!’ to Tao as he headed out.

 

 

Thanks to Sehun’s firmly vetoing the play while pretending he was Tao, for the first time in the history of the Fes, the school would not be putting up the same old stylised script of the celestial lovers separated by the Milky Way – instead, they’d choreographed an almost 40 min dance medley, complete with flame throwers and background lightshow, to fill in the prime 6 pm Central Stage slot. Kids from all three years were participating, and already it was the talk of the town, anticipation was running rife, and tickets sales had shot through the roof [which may or may not have anything to do with the new posters prominently displaying Sehun, hair swept back and in clingy track pants, next to a pic of the surprisingly  _really_  buff Xiumin in an almost illegal net shirt, expertly put together by the Photography Club, together with the new advertising/computer committee consisting of the kids Sehun had roped in - despite half-hearted opposition from the  _official_  Computer Club] [who were secretly just really glad they could get back to the more pressing issue of whether battle axes were better than swords, when wielded by a scantily dressed pixellated warrior princess]. The dance show was to be preceded by the Rock Concert, in which Lu and Chan Ye  were participating, and followed by the Choir stage which, thanks to Chen Laoshi’s dictatorship in the two weeks following the Wushu tourn, was completely pitch perfect, having already logged in over a hundred hours of practice – as Bo Xian was frequently heard to say – ‘And we thought  _Jpeg_ would be bad, you have no idea, the  _real_ monster is ole Camel face!’

Throughout the course of the Fes, each class would also put up events in their respective classrooms – III A was doing a Maid café [the guys more than happy to play ‘support staff’ in the background, while the babes in sexy black frocks with frilly aprons and cat-eared headbands manned the front]; the first years had clubbed together to convert their whole corridor into a haunted maze [it was half built, and most of the school had taken to cutting through on their way to the library..or the washrooms, the cafeteria, basketball…. basically  _anywhere_ , irrespective of how out of the way the detour took them, just coz of how much fun it was to hide behind the latest cardboard monster when the kids’ backs were turned and go ‘Boo!’] [Fang and Wei had even been called up to Suho Laoshi’s Office, after their dislocating the arm off of a skeleton n using it to scratch Wu’s shoulder seconds after he’d hung it up against the window had send him into a panic attack so severe he’d had to be taken to the Nurse’s Office for the rest of the day] and their own II B was doing a dramatic play, all about a prince [Sehun] who was on a quest to woo the heart of his destined princess [to be portrayed, after much vehement protests from the person in question (all of which either ended, began, or contained the words ‘But I’m MANLY’), and firm and absolute disregard by the enthusiastic class of the same, by Lu Han]. The whole courtyard was to be lined with stalls along every side, selling all sorts of knick knacks and bite sized snacks [Minsoo and a bunch of the other expat kids were putting up a Korea Special counter, to serve authentic Korean fare – and Sehun had taken to ducking into empty classrooms or locking himself in the toilet everytime he saw one of them, rather than admit he didn’t know the first thing about cooking - unless ramyun counted, which he had a sneaking suspicion, it didn’t][So too his special Chocolate Pasta, according to Tao][But Sehun was kinda convinced he was just being a giant idiot as per usual, he had half a mind to offer to make it, ha!]  

 

Each club was to hold special events in their club rooms too – Henry Laoshi and the Art&Crafts people had converted their wing into a beautiful walk-through experience of Art through the ages, with gorgeously accurate renditions of famous Sung dynasty paintings , the computer club had set up terminals with a fun RPG they’d designed themselves for the guests to play [featuring, after much heated argument, and the breaking of a keyboard by its usage to deliver a downward vertical blow over the cranium of the Club Secretary, authentic medieval Battle Axes]; the cheer club had taken over the gym, and were to present a different routine every 2 hours to a custom soundtrack developed by the music club – who were too busy [and exhausted] to do anything more, they were all in the Choir, and after 2 weeks of Chen Laoshi’s training, they were pretty united in emphatic agreement that that was all the bloody school was bloody gonna get out of them, can someone please pass the bloody water; the Soccer Club was holding a big match in the afternoon – school vs. Teachers+Guests, and already the club members had gotten more’n one request to ‘be creative’ re: scoring – DO Laoshi was the defending goalie for the Teachers’ side, and all of the hastily written notes stuffed into the club room noted that no one would mind any injuries sustained on the field….in fact, a ball in the head might even be a  _good_  thing… [a particularly enthusiastic letter even included pencilled diagrams, with calculations for wind speed, turf thickness and Lu Han’s cleats being too blunt]

The Wushu club was gonna be giving demonstrations all day – along with little ‘training’ classes to anyone interested, and the news that one of the ‘teachers’ would be Tao had pretty much every girl in the school and more’n a few of the guys, to Sehun’s neverending annoyance, promising they’d  _definitely_  participate. [Sehun was half ready to do some assaulting himself, at the sight of all the  _idiots_ who listened so  _earnestly_ as Tao spoke seriously about how basic self defence was so important – esp for ‘beautiful girls – and guys - like y’all’, as he looked around at the crowd of clasped hands and gleaming eyes, while dictating the Ads he wanted put up about it]. They would also be opening the events on the Central stage in the evening – the ‘award winning Wushu Club’ was to put up ‘the show that had won them FIRST PLACE AT THE PROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT’, before, [in order] the rock band, the dance, the choir and last of all, the Grande Finale - the Fashion Show, for which a ramp was already being built, running right across the school from the Central Stage to the Track and Field grounds at the back, before the Fes was to wind up with a huge bonfire dinner, replete with fireworks [sponsored jointly by the PTA and Alumni Association] and the auspicious winter solstice ceremony.

 

 

It was almost like Xiumin could hear his thoughts as the two of them made their way down the corridor – Sehun’s progressively louder sighs had him raising a sympathetic eyebrow as he hummed, ‘So…you n Tao don’t have anything together apart from the Fashion Show, huh?’

‘Yeeeaaahhhhh.’ Sehun pouted. ‘And we’re  _barely_  practicing for that…. I swear, everytime he’s not in that blasted club of his, he’s with the council..and every  _other_  time  _I’m_ somewhere practicing either for that blasted play or this blasted dance, it’s the  _pits_!!’

‘I can imagine….’ Xiumin nodded, his expression crest fallen as he lost himself in his own thoughts for a moment.

‘Ah! I mean – I didn’t mean – I mean, ya know, coz he’s um.. like my best friend, that’s all, coz we usually hang out together all the time..and stuff….’Sehun quickly spluttered, worried he’d said too much.

‘Ehh…is that so…’ Xiumin drawled, grinning – damn, Lu was right, it was near irresistible – and so  _easy,_ the poor idiots had no clue!

 ‘Um, yeah, yeah, totally, not like I care or anything, ya know..’

‘Oh, sure! Of course not…. So I hear one of the Cheer leaders is planning to ask Zitao out at the Fes… thoughts?’

‘Ajkshjdhhf, WHAT???!! It’s that Angela, isn’t it, isn’t it, I  _knew_ it, she’s been after him for  _days_ , Ha!! ‘I really want Zitao to wear my clothes’ As if!! That’s all she wants, oh no, such a dedicated designer, ha!!! Of course she’s not thinking of anything else at all, I’ll show  _her,_ I’ll  _kill_ him, how…’

As Sehun fell into incoherent mumblings, banging his bag against the wall darkly, Xiumin couldn’t help it – he burst out laughing, while sympathetically patting Sehun’s arm. ‘I was just kiddin, ya know~~’

 

‘….

…..ehh…

huh..

really?’

 

‘I swear.’ He smiled at the scowling parrot head, reassuringly comforting. ‘Cross my heart.’

 

‘Oh….oh..well…good then.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Not that I care or anything, obviously!’

 

‘….right…’

 

As Xiumin smothered his giggles, they fell into a companionable silence, crossing the main staircase and cutting across the courtyard to the gym which the dance troupe had temporarily taken over for their practices, Sehun still felt rather upset though – it was totally fucked up… shocking as it may seem, despite all of his thoroughly believable grumbling he  _did_ actually wanna hang out with Tao more…and he’d totally thought once the Tourn was done, they could go back to seeing each other every day, but the last two weeks….

Everyday it was one thing or another…. Sehun couldn’t even remember the last time they’d actually managed to like,  _talk_ to each other, have a  _single_ decent conversation that wasn’t just him going ‘Taotao,  _there_ you ar-‘ and Tao cutting in with ‘Sorry sorry Hunnie, I have to go’…. It seemed like Tao only managed to get free  _really_ late..and with his Mom suddenly on the war path about him staying out so often, he kept having to rush home, so much so they barely managed, like,   _barely_  half an hour together….

Sehun sighed yet again.

Honestly, he just….really… _missed_ Tao so damn much!!! Sometimes it made his so anxious, it was like…like he couldn’t breathe, especially now that everyone’d started getting so…close to Tao – led by the cheer club, and taking full advantage of the excuse of ‘congratulating him’, once they’d come back to school after the tourn Tao had become  _really_  popular, random people – everyone who’d always wanted to, but could never work up the guts -  was suddenly  _best friends_ with him, hardly did Sehun manage to pull him into a quiet corner than someone would show up to hang out with him; barely did he turn around in between periods than someone would urgently wanna find out Tao’s opinion about some utterly inconsequential shit or the other - Lu  and Chan Ye esp, everytime he manoeuvred and plotted and somehow managed to drag Tao into a private corner, they’d show up, both of them hanging over him  _waayy_ too much in Sehun’s opinion…and more than once, he could’ve sworn they were…actually… _flirting_  with him!!! – and arrgh! that boy was naturally so friendly and…gregarious, once he forgot about his whole ‘image’, he just….

 

Aaha-ah.

 

It wasn’t like he was…jealous..or  _afraid_ or anything..it was just… some of the girls in their school were so pretty…and really, what if Tao was only……Or okay, okay, you  _could_  say that was him worrying too much about something that would never happen, but still -  _any_ of the guys!!.. Take even Lu for instance, he was Chinese too, just like Tao - they all were, they were all from around here, they knew each other from way back,  _they_  would instantly know what Tao meant when he referenced some old tv show he used ta watch, or made some comment about some person or place or object or thing;  _they_ would never have an hour long conversation without realising that a misunderstanding regarding tones meant they were both talking for 60 mins about two  _completely_  different topics… And seriously, what the fuck was  _up_ with this school, why the hell was everyone so good looking – as if Bo Xian and Chan Ye weren’t enough, there was Xiumin and Lu…. And they all  _just_  had  _so_  much in common, what if….

 

What if….

 

 

 

By the end of the day, the dark mood that had settled over Sehun felt like it was seeping right into his bones…making his limbs feel so heavy and laden he could hardly keep his mind on the routine, the ‘pum pum rarara’ beat of the last song echoing the creeping sense of isolation and loneliness… So it was with an exquisite relief that he whole heartedly joined in the general applause as Yu called an end to the set at 3pm, stopping only long enough to mutter a ‘thanks’ to Xiumin as he grabbed the towel he was holding out n swipe it randomly across his face and neck before sprinting out, crossing the courtyard to the wood panelled hall that housed the Wushu club. Or  _usually_ housed them, he thought, as the shivering hazy light that spilled through the door he’d partly pulled open only picked out a beam of sparkling dust motes, echoing flickers through the emptiness. ‘Tao’s at Council, then?’ He whispered into the silence, to the gleaming polish that seemed to carry the faintest hint of that scent that always trailed about Tao. Even if he’d told him to go home, he just…couldn’t, not now, not today.

 

The shadows lengthened as Sehun crunched his way back to the main building, shrouding him in a thick murky gloom that was strangely satisfying, like the gray air was sharing in his overcast mood, the icy sky as determined as the frosted diamond shards of his breath that cut through it, lingering sweetly barbed on his tongue.

They’d been planning to go to Hiro-san’s restaurant yesterday evening - Tao’d wanted to see him, to tell him allabout the tourn, and personally invite him for the Fes [though the genius Chef had already signed up for one of the Merchants’ stalls, a beloved Fes tradition that had a section of the ground floor being turned over to the local tradesmen to display their wares, and set up events of their own]… still, Tao’d wanted to do it properly himself..and Sehun had spent all day drooling in anticipation of that delectable seafood spaghetti, made even more delicious by the mouth-watering spice of possibly getting to eat it off of Tao….. but the idiot’d ended up having to work late again, till sometime past 8 pm, and only managed to pop in to Sehun’s house afterwards long enough to thrust a bag of hot bagels at him, and kiss him like, Uggh, a meagre  _two_  times [and just  _teeny_  little pecks at that!!] before running off home!!

 

_And last weekend!!!!!!!_

They were supposed to have a total holiday, Tao had  _promised_ he’d be off all day long, he wouldn’t even  _think_ about the Fes and shit _,_ he was ‘all Hunnie’s all day’….. And Sehun’d been soo excited, it was ridiculous - it wasn’t like they didn’t used to do that all the time before, but it’d just been aages since they had a proper date, and he’d been _thrilled_ , and looking forward to it  _so_ fucking much… he’d even packed up an actual hamper the night before to take to the beach [!!!], excitedly plotting exactly  _which_ secluded rock formation they were ‘accidently’ gonna get trapped behind when the tide came up….. and afterwards, Tao was gonna take him to the Hyatt Regency for a romantic, private lunch at the new Grill room… He’d  gotten scalp tickets to the upscale Cinema with the cushioned ‘couple’ seats and complimentary slurpies to watch the first day showing of Tron: Legacy in the evening, Heck, he’d even texted Tao with the strictest instructions as to exactly which excessively tight fitting ripped leather pants and sleeveless Tee he was to wear!!

But, at 9 am, when Tao had just come over, spending a measly 5 minutes unsuccessfully tryina ‘wake’ him up before giving up and snuggling into the covers with him,  _just_ when he’d gotten perfectly situated into Tao’s arms, their warm sleek strength curving around his body after soo long, fuck, it was like his friggin  _bones_ had missed Tao, had missed this; as he wriggled with the sheer pleasure of knowing those arms were gonna stay wrapped around him just like that for the entire duration of the day, the prospect of the fun they were gonna have - the sun was already out and blazing molten gold into his room – the beach was gonna be  _awesome_ ; as he nuzzled his nose against that spot at the nape of Tao’s neck that was his favourite,  _just_ as Tao’d slid his fingers curling over his hip – that fuckin phone of his had blared out with a frantic call from Mai about a scheduling cock-up and a fiasco involving the First Year corridor, a busted water pipe, and about a ton of paper mache.

Despite all of Sehun’s moaning that he was neither a plumber nor a time traveller, that crappy overly Responsible King of the Nerds had rushed off straight to school – and that was the last Sehun had seen of him, cept for a phone call sometime in the afternoon with a thoroughly insufficient apology and a vague promise of ‘we’ll go see Tron some other time k, bye, gotta run’

 

 

‘Ugghh!!’ Just thinking about it had Sehun stomping up the stairs so hard the echoes clattered all the way down the now abandoned corridor, the trickles of weak sunlight pooling through the windows no match for the arrogantly bright blaze that cracked out from under the door of the Council Room at the end ‘Look at it, all… _light_ and  _bright_ , I bet they’re just doing it on purpose now, seriously, what, 5 hours every single day??! What could they  _possibly_ have to …. _council_ about _that_ much!!! I bet they just wanna hang out with Tao!! Stupid idiot!! Just coz he’s all..President..Head boy – ha!! He isn’t even the head boy  _really!!’_ That was Tsan, and  _he_ was out with his girlfriend making out under that giant ass Christmas tree outside the mall - if he wasn’t sexting out loud with his  _other_  girlfriend from Number 5 High while stuffing his face at KFC, like he did  _everyday_ Fes or no Fes, and  _everyone_ knew he’d been tryina work in Teresa from Computer Club – he’d been leaving poetry on her keyboard during lunch for the past two weeks, which was stupid and idiotic and sappy, but goddamit, it was better than what  _he_ got from his  _idiotic_ so-called  _boyfriend_ , which was jack fucking SQUAT!!! Not even a cruddy ‘Hey Sehun, whatcha wearing right now’ Ughhh!!!!!!!!!

 

 

He’d get Tao to himself today– even if he had to wait like, two or three hours it was fine, he’d just drag a chair to the side and settle down with his earphones in while watching his boy in action, like he’d done most of last week…. - After all, It  _was_  kinda hot to watch him yelling at people for mixing up the accounts, or signing his name with a flourish at the end of requisition forms, or snapping out orders fifteen a second while the rest of the Council scampered about in awe….. not to mention how fun it was to get back for the constant torture he put him through during classes by provocatively mouthing out exactly how hot he found the sight, and watching him steam, unable to reply satisfactorily in front of the crowd.

 _Plus_ , he always felt guilty afterwards, for making Sehun wait around, and an apologetically malleable Tao was pretty fuckin….  _enjoyable_.

 

But……..

 

See, the thing was, that was last week, back when they’d just gotten back from the tournament. The last coupla days, Tao’d sent him off as soon as he wormed his way into the Council room, saying he’d be too late, go home, aren’t you tired from dance, yada yada yada…

 

 

Biting down the lump in his throat that was painfully suffocating, pressing against his neck as it swelled up with longing and sadness and loneliness, Sehun took a deep breath and slid open the door, stepping into the jarringly incongruous hustle and bustle of activity, the swirling hive and brilliant white flooding out into the hushed dark corridor behind him in harshly callous tones. His eyes immediately went to Tao – his heart flipping like it always did when he saw him, broad shoulders hunched over the papers Seung was holding out, his blazer and jacket long discarded, but his sleeves still pristinely in place, the cuffs buttoned neatly; glasses perched high on the bridge of his nose, as he made some notation on the form, then turned to Shin, heading over with him into the small supply room off to one side…

‘Oy!’ Sehun flicked his hand out, waving his fingers in front of the First Year who was scuttling past holding a garishly fluorescent balloon monkey.

‘..Hmm? Oh… sorry, sorry, Good Evening, Sehun-ge!!’

‘Go tell Tao I’m here, tell him I’m waiting.’

‘Yes Sir.’ Bowing for the third time in their two second conversation, Xiulan ran off, leaving Sehun to wonder how the lil rabbit boy had ever managed to end up being a Class Rep, as he traipsed his way over to where Mai and Beni were poring over a couple of accounts ledgers.

‘Howdy little ones, how’s it hanging~~’

 

‘…… ……..oh..it’s you.’

 

‘Now, now..do I detect a certain lack of enthusiasm~~ Let’s try it again, c’mon, say ‘OMG Sehun!! How  _wonderful_ to see you!!’ ‘ Sehun joked, drawing his voice into high pitched breathy tones – somehow just being here, just doing  _something,_ he already felt so much better!!

 

Wow, he had been  _such_ a drag, why the fuck had he been overthinking everything so much!!!! Of course Tao was busy – duh, after all, he was the person in charge of the whole damn thing, exactly when had he let that stop being a matter of pride, and twisted it into something…. Hurtful instead?! Why had he let it get to him so much!

In actuality, it was so simple!! Step one, wait for Tao, while goofing around to get him all steamed up, serving the dual purpose of getting him out of here in decent time, while also…well.. _getting him steamed up_ ; step two -  drag him off to a quick dinner at one of the roadside markets, then home..and…Step Three….ehehe….

That’s it!! What was there to make sucha fuss about!

 

Honestly, next thing you know, he’d be growing his hair long over one half of his face, and wailing about supermarket parking lots at 3 am.

 

 

‘Go away, we’re busy.’

‘Yeah, these numbers just  _won’t_ add up!! Anyway you look at it, there's receipts for stuff worth  _two thousand_ more than in the accounts, this is just…’

‘Did you add the balloons~~’ Sehun teased, prodding a finger into the bundle of receipts Mai was struggling through.

‘Stoppit! And what balloons, we don’t have any balloons, that’s the Decoration Committee, or the individual classes!!’

 

‘……Doesn’t the Decoration bills come to you guys?’

 

‘Not till the end, they’re keeping separate accounts till the last day – oh god, what does this even say, ‘Gizzards’??!!! I’m gonna kill these kids!!’

 

‘…Urrmm…’

‘What?!’

 

‘Did anyone tell the Decoration Committee that, coz Sara’s been sending the bills up here every day….’

 

‘…..’

 

‘WHAT??!!’

 

‘Yeah~~ Yesterday we got like a ton of glitter..and there were there squirty paint thingies, if I remember right…’

 

‘… you mean… _Glitter_ …..?’

 

‘…yeah….’

 

‘What. The. Hell, I  _specifically_ told them, the Decoration accounts were separate, we can’t add..’       ‘Man, ehehe,  _GLITTER_ , not  _gizzards,_ so that’s what that was!! Thanks Sehun!!’ 

As Mai descended into ominous muttering, and Beni beamed up at him, Sehun grinned happily, perching himself on the desk.

‘Sure thang~~ anytime~~’

‘Sehun Ge!’

‘Yeah? Ya tell him?’ Sehun turned to the First year, who was now back, bobbing his head and sniffling through his stuffy nose.

 

‘Yeah, He said he’s gonna be late, He said you should go home.’

 

 

 

The snotty faced little brat even lowered his voice reverently when he referred to Tao, Sehun could almost  _see_ the capital letters.

 

_Fucking fucking fuck, he hadn’t even bothered to.._

 

 

‘Oh..well, then, there's no point in me waiting is there~~’ Airily, forcing his face into a careless expression, pulling his lips apart though it felt so painful, his voice cheery while it burning through his throat, Sehun ruffled Beni’s hair cheekily before skipping his way out, waving behind him.

 

_Okay breathe._

 

So Tao was busy, and didn’t wanna keep him hanging around, that’s all! He’s just…super sweet and considerate!!

 

Besides, the very  _last_ thing on earth Sehun wanted was to be a  _nag_!!!

 

 _Besides,_ it just meant a delay of a coupla hours or so! Once he was done here, Tao’d come over right?! It was  _fine_ if he didn’t see him right this very second!

 

 

Sehun shoved his hands into his pockets, tucking his chin down into the collar of his jacket as he made his way home.

_It was gonna be alright._

 

The plastic exuberant music that jingled through the town - the lights, the crowds and crowds of people… It felt like everything was mocking him on purpose, like he was somehow outside the warm cinnamon bubble that surrounded everyone else, the chilly night air threading its way into his clothes as he walked alone…

 

_It was gonna be alright._

 

The words repeated in his mind like a chant he was desperately holding onto, as he stepped into the tiny restaurant on the way that had become one of their favourite haunts, bowing a happy greeting to the owner who knew him n Tao well enough by now to greet him by name and ask after Tao, a query Sehun deflected with a casual, ‘Oh, he’s just got caught up in school, I’ll take an extra Coconut Chicken, he’s gonna be  _starving_  when he gets back!’

 

 _It was gonna be alright_.

 

By the time he got home, it seemed to have worked – his spirits lifting as he unlocked the door and flicked the lights on, the aroma of spiced rice and curry wafting up, mingling with the brisk sharpness of the snow. Tao  _was_ gonna be starving when he got here – and tired and strung out, so he was gonna make  _sure,_ that even if only for a bit, he could have fun and unwind when he was with him, when he was here! After all…this  _was_ Tao’s… ‘happy place’ right, that’s what he said all the time, how much he loved coming over…being with him…he’d  _definitely_ come, as soon as he was done with his work, and he, Sehun, was gonna make certain this was gonna be the most fuckin  _welcoming_  place in the history of…welcoming places!! ‘Watch-out~~~’ Unconsciously humming the oddly appropriate songs from Dance prac, Sehun deposited the parcelled dinner in the kitchen, and set about tidying up – straightening out the covers on the bed, stacking up the piles of books on the floor just so, shoving his clothes back into the closet and latching the door firmly….

‘Duuum dum-dum-dum-dum~~’ shuffling along to the beat, swinging his arms widely, he made his way to the linen cupboard, dragging out a handful of rugs. ‘So this one…here…and this one here….oh, no,  _here_ ~~’ Carefully, he arranged the flannel strategically at convenient spots all along the way from the door, to the bed, before making the rounds again with armfuls of cushions – Tao  _would_ be tired and strung out, and he definitely didn’t wanna make his baby…exercise…against the cold, hard floor~~

 

 

Two hours later, Sehun had ended up pulling out everything from his closet, actually folding up his clothes before stacking them back in neatly, he’d washed and dried the mound of dishes in the sink plus revamped his shampoo collection; reheated the Thai dinner that had gotten stone cold, before serving it out on actual plates...he’d even gotten so antsy he’d taken out his Math notes, and while the log homework was still undone, he’d covered three pages with a  _really_ impressive dinosaur battle scene, embroidering the sides with realistic mounds of pencilled-in poop

‘Ugghhh…where  _is_ he already!!’

 

He’d totally decided he wasn’t gonna text or call Tao – he was scared he’d end up just nagging him again

 

Aah-ah…

 

Lately it felt like all he  _did_ was nag at Tao, where are you, when are you coming, why are you working so much…

 

Like an old housewife

 

First the Tourn, and right away this….

 

‘Waayy too needy..’ Sehun whispered to the T-Rex. ‘Noone likes a clingy boyfriend~~ ‘

 

But he  _could_ ask him  _when_ he was coming right?

 

There was no harm in that, surely…

Like really  _casually_ , ‘hey Tao, it doesn’t matter  _when_ you’re coming, but just tell me…so….so I can get dinner ready on time!!’ Yeah!! That’s it!! Already that chicken was getting cold again, he’d  _have_ to heat it up again, right??

 

Happily, Sehun pulled out his phone, flicking it on. ‘And Messages, and Compose New, and  – huh!!’

Even as he made to type, it vibrated in his hand – the tiny icon flashing by reading ‘Tao’

 

‘Oho~~~ wow, we are  _so_ connected, we even thought of it at the same time!!!’ Grinning gleefully, Sehun pushed open the text –

 

 

 ‘Sorry Sehun, havta go home, goodnight’

 

 

He had to read it through twice before it went in, before he could take it in. For a long moment, an absolute still descended over the little house, so quiet, the faint ‘drip drip’ of the kitchen tap sounded monstrously loud, rumbling through the rooms like thunder….

 

The next, Sehun snarled, leaping to his feet so fast his chair crashed right over, as he flung the phone away from himself – throwing it so hard it hurtled right across the room, hitting the wall strongly enough that a piece broke off of the back casing, shrapnelling through the air.

 

‘GREAT!!!!!’ fuming, Sehun walked over and picked it up – and clicked and clicked and swiped, but it was no use, it wasn’t coming on.

 

‘ _GREAT!!!! FAN-FUCKIN-TASTIC!!!!’_

 

The sheer  _anger_ boiling through him was decidedly uncharacteristic – but he’d never been so  _mad_ never been SO DAMN FUCKING FRUSTRATED!!!!  It was like a switch had flipped somewhere in his head, and all he could suddenly see was the overpowering ochre tones of rage, shading everything so forcefully. He had waited – PATIENTLY, he had buttoned down and been perfectly well behaved THE ENTIRE time Tao was practicing for the tournament, he’d done  _everything_ right, and he’d fucking WAITED coz he knew it would eventually be over and they could go back to being together – BUT NO!!!

 

_IS THIS A FUCKING JOKE???!!!!!!!_

 

 ‘DO YOU THINK THIS IS FUCKING FUNNY!!????’ he yelled at the unresponsive phone, before hurling it across the room again, the sickening crunch that followed the only reply in the otherwise infuriatingly silent, winter shrouded room. Boiling, more incensed than he’d ever been, Sehun grabbed the nearest rug to hand – the comfortable blue patterned one, which was just  _perfect_ for … - and yanking it up, angrily crushed it into a ball before slamming it into the bed, cushions and pillows flying. ‘FUCK YOU!!!!! Fuck you fuck you FUCK YOU!!!’ he swiped at the plates, sending the green curry and rice splashing in a foul mixture over the wall before glutinously dribbling down, petering among the shards of broken china.

It had been so HARD!!! It had been  _HEARTBREAKING_ but he’d waited, for all that while, every moment he’d felt so EMPTY inside, not having Tao around, like a fucking chunk had been torn out of him but he’d done his best to be supportive, to be understanding, he hadn’t complained or fought or picked at Tao coz of it, despite how much he’d wanted to,  _because he’d thought once the tournament was over it would be fucking OVER_ and…and it had been two whole weeks since then and he could count on one hand the amount of time he’d gotten to spend with him ‘AND DOES HE EVEN CARE!!????????’ he screamed at the phone, swiping it to try and read that message again – even though it didn’t come on, he had the words down, oh yes, so fucking casual, sorry, going home, goodnight – ‘I DON’T FUCKING  _CARE_!!!’ He yelled, violently wiping the back of his hand across his eyes, at the pillows that had pooffed onto the floor, the covers dangling haphazardly over the footboard, the rugs trailing across the spilled curry…..

It was always him. Last time, when Tao was busy with the tournament, the one who’d missed him, the one who’d missed  _them_ , had just been him. The only one who wanted to spend time together, the only one who jumped through any and all loops just to be together, the one who waited and pined and smothered his own feelings just to be a good boyfriend – was HIM. He was the one always compromising, he was the one who –

 

_Urrghhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

 

No matter how much it hurt, he was always being supportive and there for Tao whenever he needed, patiently waiting on the sidelines –  _WELL_

_NO_

 

_FUCKING_

 

_MORE!!!!!!_

 

‘I don’t care.’ He repeated out loud, his voice a broken whisper in the night.

If Tao wanted to get together, from now on,  _he_ can do the inviting, the waiting, the longing. Sehun was just gonna do his own thing, and not give a damn any more. Ha!! Did he really think he was that hopeless, that lost, that he had nothing to do than sit around and wait till he deigned to give him some attention?!! Was he a toy, for Tao to pick up and play with when he had nothing better to do, then fling aside the moment something more interesting came along!?!?

 

Seething, Sehun picked up his phone, swiping at it in momentary forgetfulness – before growling with exasperation as he realised it wasn’t coming on. ‘Well, never fucking mind, I know where they are!!!’ Dropping the maddening thing into his bed, he stomped out of the room, grabbing his jacket on the way, as he headed out of the house – Xiumin had mentioned something earlier, during practice, about that new café Lu really liked, that they were going to in the evening – hopefully they’d still be there…  _Well, even if not, he was_ sure _he could find_ someone _to hang out with!!_

‘That’s fucking right!!!!!’ He grimaced out loud at a lamp post, making the couple walking by give him pityingly creeped out looks. ‘I have  _friends,_ I have a  _life,_ that fucking asshole can go to hell!!!!!!!!’ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   ‘Sehun!!!  _Sehun!!!’_

 

‘……-Ah!! Sorry!!’ Sehun snapped up, executing the pirouette that went with the ‘Boom boom boom bara’ sequence – managing to get his feet twisted in the wrong direction, tripping over himself - and slamming painfully into Xiumin. ‘OOWW!!! Oww ow, okay, that’s it.’ Xiumin groaned, falling to his knees, doubling up. ‘Yu-Ge, let’s call it a day….. any more of that and I’ll be out for the Fes’ he breathed, painfully  ‘Omg, I’m  _so_ sorry!!!’ Sehun quickly knelt down, patting Xiumin’s back. ‘Are you okay?’

‘Yeah… but if I end up childless, I’m suing you…’ He groaned, wincing up to his feet, as Yu laughed and conceded, calling an end to Practice. As they gathered up their things and headed out, no one really listening to Yu’s spiel of instructions, Sehun guiltily took Xiumin’s bag from him, slinging it over his own as he fretfully kept glancing him over.

 

‘….It’s okay, ya know, I’m not  _really_  hurt.’

 

‘Huh?’

 

‘…I was just h-u-n-g-r-y, idiot, Yu-ge was probably planning to keep us in till 8 or something, we needed an excuse!!’

 

‘….. _You ASS!!_ I was seriously worried!!!’

 

 

‘ _You_ ass~~ haven’t you ever met Lu, my body can withstand  _way_ more pounding than that~~’ Puffing out his cheeks, Xiumin pulled a wrestler pose, making his arms bulge out, and Sehun burst out laughing…for the first time in days, a smile crossing his lips. ‘C’mon, you’re coming with us today, right?’ Xiumin continued, picking up his stride. ‘……..uhm.Yeah.’ Sehun sighed, the little moment of lightness fading away, and that heaviness that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in his limbs settling in again, more crushing than ever, as he jogged to catch upto Xiumin, who was already halfway to the gate, where Lu and Fang and Lin and the others were waiting.

 

 

It had been almost 2 weeks since he’d spoken to Tao – ever since that night, he’d kept to his word – refusing to go out of his way to talk to him, sternly gritting his teeth and refraining from texting or calling Tao, till he texted him first [and on the rare occasion Tao even bothered, it was always just the same old shit anyway, the Sorry Goodnight text cud’v served as template for all of ‘em] and even then, keeping it as casually succinct as him, just a ‘k, goodnight’…….resolutely forcing himself not to find excuses to go near the Club Room or Council Office..

Instead, every evening, he found himself hanging out with Lu Han and gang after school, playing around outside the malls, drowning themselves in the feverish grips of the annual yearend retail frenzy, or at one of the 24 hr game centres, with their shiny new holiday themed consoles and discount offers racketed up to hours played…[Xiumin had correctly diagnosed his recent depression as being a result of the sudden loose end he found himself at, with Tao being MIA, and unbeknownst to Sehun, tried to make it a point to invite him out every day - even if for a few hours, ensuring he was kept occupied]

 

 

Yet, even whilst he forced a smile and high fived Lu when they beat Wei and Fang at air hockey, Sehun couldn’t help remembering how he’d used to hang out in these same arcades with Tao - usually after he took him out for dinner at one of their favourite restaurants -  they’d stop in, pick a different game everytime n play against each other, making naughty bets on the outcome…..

When he joined in the impromptu snow ball fight behind Tesco’s, all Sehun could think about how Tao had barrelled in and lifted him up into his arms, to put an end to  _their_ snowball fight, that one time…. How they’d laughed, how safe he’d felt, how happy… He could throw all the snow in the world at full strength at Tao, and he always loved how Tao would always  _always_  hold back, always so very gentle and careful around him… why,  _everytime_  they mock-fought or wrestled, and he’d hit him or punch him, Tao’d just twist his lips, waggle a finger at him and laugh….

 

Yet now…that same thoughtful, gentle, kind boy didn’t even care, didn’t even  _notice,_ that he wasn’t around….

 

Didn’t wanna be with him anymore

 

Didn’t want  _him_  anymore

 

 

SO many times, he’d open his mouth to say something to Tao – only he wasn’t there… Turn to point out something – but there was only emptiness beside him…start smiling at a joke, just by imagining how Tao’d laugh when he told it to him – only to remember….

 Having to cut himself off in the middle of a word, coz the person he wanted to speak to didn’t wanna hear him

 

Sometimes he thought this was it.

 

Maybe they were…..

Really…

 

_Over._

 

What else could it mean?! Tao just…neglecting him like this, not bothering to talk to him, not bothering to tell him anything.. Just.. just never  _there_

_For so long!!!!!!!_

 

 

Breakups didn’t always happen with a bang, with a huge fight, or hatred flung indiscriminately…  They could just happen when the people involved drifted away…

 

Moving apart….

 

Even without saying anything, without ‘officially’ ending it…

 

Before you knew it…. They wouldn’t be… ‘Tao&Sehun’ anymore… 

 


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

Most times he just couldn’t believe it – the thought of  _not_  having Tao around all the time – it was jarring. They were always  _always_  together, to the point Tao had come to feel like an actual  _part_  of him, and now…

Suddenly…

 

He’d be walking down the street, and happen to glance up at a shop window, and stop short, his heart clenching, terrified out of his mind – it was so  _frightening,_  seeing himself  _alone_  … Tao had this habit of walking by him… even on the rare occasions they didn’t hold hands or anything, still…he had this way of walking beside him, that felt like somehow….he was just…so...And everytime he was even a couple of steps ahead, he’d unconsciously stop, and look back, to make sure Sehun was coming, to make sure he was okay….  Walking through crowds, and Tao’d pull him closer, unconsciously curving his body protectively around him… or turn and grab his wrist and drag him through, momentarily forgetting all about the ‘keeping it on the down-low’ thing…

 

 

The worst part was the strange limbo they were in… without officially saying anything… without actually…actually  _breaking up_  or…

 

It was like they had drifted so wide part, at once sedulously, and abruptly, like it happened overnight..Yet so slowly he hadn’t realised it was happening when it did..

Like their hands could no longer touch…

 

The worst part was the part of him that kept saying ‘it’s just coz he’s busy’…. And ‘you’re over thinking this’ 

 

‘He’ll come back!!’….

 

 

He couldn’t let go of the hope…. Even while being so gutted, he couldn’t stop..  _Hoping_ ….

 

Somewhere…

Somehow…let this all just be a mistake, a misunderstanding…

Please…just let this be me being silly….

 

Every day, he’d try to force himself not to look up every few minutes, sure that Tao would be leaning in through the door, blazing smile on his face, saying, ‘Hunnie, c’mon’..

Everyday he’d try and force himself not to check his phone every few seconds, certain Tao had texted saying ‘I’m free!! I’ll be waiting for you’ or ‘I’m coming over’ or even.. ‘I miss you’…. ‘I love you….’

Anything…

 

But all he got, when he got something at all, was ‘Sorry, can’t make it’

 

The whole thing was made only more awful by the fact that it coincided with them officially suspending the teaching schedule  – this close to the Fes, everyone was busy with the class events, or practices, and he lost even the opportunity to see Tao at all

 

It just felt so uncomfortable and unsettling…to go through his entire day without once leaning in to whisper something into Tao’s ear…

 

He hadn’t realised how used he’d gotten to being able to reach out and touch Tao…secretly or casually, so many times without even realising it… just sitting and having him drape an arm around him, or leaning against him, or placing his hand on his thigh…it had all become so natural that the cold that settled into his body now permanently ripped at him, sending its fingers mockingly through the suddenly unshielded parts of his flesh…the abruptly defenceless, exposed pieces of his heart

Even when he hung out with the others, even when he was playing with them, not having the warmth of Tao’s skin – forget everything else, just the sheer physical  _need_  to feel that warmth beside him was so overwhelming, he thought he’d die just from the pain of it.

 

More than once, Sehun brusquely stopped and turned away, when Lu and Xiumin and everyone was about to step into a patisserie or a juice shop, when they talked about going to the beach, or the pier – he’d hurriedly make up an excuse and leave, bursting into a run the moment he was out of sight of them - It was too hard. He’d been there with Tao, look, they’d sat right over there, in that corner, and Tao had stolen his strawberries, stuffing them into his mouth when Sehun had looked away, and then beaming at him with the  _cutest_  dumbest most  _adorable_  grin ever, pretending he was innocent, like a little kid….

 

When they went into a café, or restaurant, Tao’d make Sehun sit, while he went and ordered, refusing to let Sehun even go halfsies, he’d always say Try this, try that, I’m sure you’ll like this… when Sehun felt like eating something, even if it took  _hours_  he’d make sure he got it for him… Taking care of him, always treating him like he was…so..precious, so beautiful and…and  _perfect_ …. A way no one else had ever – or would ever- look at him again…

When they went shopping…

 

When they’d gone to watch the lights set up in the park, the huge Christmas tree, and the ice sculptures…. The way Tao had casually come up behind him, like he always  _always_  did, to hug him from the back, and he’d leaned back, into him.. the thrill that always spiralled through him when he did that, the proud, smug way he always felt when he wrapped his arms around him…

 

 

It was so so  _so_  much harder than before, now that they’d lived together – he couldn’t even  _bear_  to go home, the walls of his room, his bed, the kitchen counter, the bathtub…everything… everything just felt like Tao, just screamed out that he wasn’t there….

 

He wandered through the town alone till the early hours of the morning, long after the others had gone home, dreading returning to that cold, empty place that just a matter of  _days_  ago had been…..

 

The night Sehun woke up from the middle of some awful unremembered dream, feeling like his chest was being crushed under a rock, like his lungs were tearing… and abruptly realised his covers had completely lost that faint trace of Tao’s scent that had lingered on them all this while….. that was the first time he broke down utterly. He’d been forcing himself – biting it down, refusing to accept it, viciously thrusting down the pain as deep inside as possible – but at that point he couldn’t take it any longer. The sobs racked out of him, angrily, painfully, the tears salty and burning as they fell down his cheeks, as he screamed and clawed at the sheets, and begged God…. Please….

Please just let Tao….

 

I’ll do  _anything_  …..

 

 

 _Please_  I can’t… I can’t take this anymore

 

_Please, no matter what it took…just…._

_Just give him back to me_

 

 

I can’t go on

 

 

Three days before the Fes, Sehun went into the department store near Tao’s house by accident – he hadn’t meant to, he’d just been thinking of getting some groceries, maybe some bread, make himself some PBJ sandwiches – [it was like he’d circled back around from not wanting to set foot in his house, to never wanting to leave, it felt like every single restaurant in Qingdao, Tao had taken him to at one point or another, even the stupid roadside stalls just reminded him of going out to play bball in the middle of the night at the deserted courts, or riding those ridiculous tiny bicycles around - that idiot with his abnormally long legs, he’d….] and his footsteps had led him right to this place…

Ignoring the owner, who was smiling his usual toothy grin at him, with those fluffy pink earmuffs that were suddenly not even funny anymore, Sehun scuttled over to the ready-to-eat aisle, resolutely refusing to look anywhere near the ice cream freezers. ‘Urrgh’ Groaning under his breath, he blindly pulled out a loaf of bread, adding in some coke, crisps, some corn chips  - and stopped. Staring at the bright cheery yellow and red packet in his basket.

Those were….Tao’s faves…

 

He’d just…

 

He hadn’t….

 

It was so stupid, it was such a simple thing, he should just put it back, put it back and leave..

But..

 

The tear slid out of the corner of his eye, tracing over his cheek to land with a plop over the hand that gripped the basket handle

 

What if….what if he…never…got to eat those chips with Tao again….

Never…

Just..

 

What if he never got to eat  _anything_  with Tao ever again…

 

The way they smelled – he didn’t know why he should remember it so clearly..

 

_Fuck, they were just chips!!_

 

But…

 

 

 

‘Sehun!!’

The voice suddenly cut in, making his gasp and snap about

‘Sehun!! It  _is_  you!! I’m sure I’d recognize that hair anywhere!!’

Mrs Huang reached over him, to grab a bottle of ketchup, laughing  and nodding as he spluttered a ‘Go..ood…Eve…ni..ing’

‘How are you, little one, you look exhausted, it’s this festival, isn’t it? Even Tao’s been looking so tired lately…’ She ran a concerned eye over him, reaching to ruffle his hair as he stumbled his way through denials. ‘Don’t lie to me…you make sure you get lots of rest, alright?! Aa-ah…at least it will be over soon…’ She pulled out a can of tinned mushrooms, adding them to her cart – before something in Sehun’s caught her eye, and she stopped short, narrowing her eyes. ‘Is that…..Did that idiot son of mine send you to get that??  Those are the chips he’s always eating right!!  Hmph! After taking care of him so much, he even makes you go shopping for him!!!!!!????’

‘..No, no, n I – it’s not like that, I just – ‘

Totally ignoring him, she snorted in annoyance, pulling out her phone -

‘No – Huang Taitei, he didn’t – I just came for myself, I just..got…this by habit.... ’

She couldn't help laughing, then - Sehun's discomfiture, coupled with his sudden earnestness was rather adorable - and waving her hand, she snapped her phone closed, and pushed it back into her pocket  ‘Oh, alright, if you insist…You're spoiling him more than he deserves, though, little one, and that son of mine ~ humph! You tell him, if he doesn’t behave, he’ll hear it from me!! Honestly..’ she grumbled, adding in a bottle of oregano, and turned, heading over to the counter. ‘He’s been playing at your house every day till late, and after imposing on you so much – oh, that’s right, Sehun, please tell your mother to give me a call, okay? Or send me her number, I’ll call..i  _must_  thank her, Tao’s such a handful! In fact, why don’t you all come over for dinner, one day? I’d  _love_  to have you.. please tell her i'll give her a call.... And make sure that boy of mine thanks her properly, too!’

‘…urm..yeah..it’s..not a problem, I’ll – I’ll tell her…..’

‘Good!’

Smiling, a goodbye, she turned to ruffle his hair once more, before moving to the door. ‘Oh, and Sehun! Send that idiot home by 10 at least, honestly, he’s not been home before midnight in a month~ ’ Calling out behind her, Mrs Huang waved goodbye, wishing him goodnight as she stepped out.

 

The door tinkled shut behind her, slamming against the flurry of cold night air and snow that had whirled its way in, and silence descended over the store, washing unfelt and unheard over Sehun, who stood frozen in shock beside the condiments shelf.

 

_Not been home…_

 

_Before_

 

_Not been home before midnight_

 

_One month_

 

**NO**

 

The images flashed into his head crystal clear – the messages coming in at around  _8 pm_  – sorry, have to go home

Have to go home

‘Sehun, I have to leave, my mother’s getting mad that I’m never home!’ That’s what he’d said right when they got back from the tournament

He’d laughed and joked about it.

 

**NO**

Texted so casually

‘hvta go home, c u’

 

Sehun sorry I can’t stay out late today

 

_He’s been playing over at your house…._

_Everyday…_

 

_Till late…_

 

**NO**

_Send him home by 10…._

 

She’d thought..he was….

 

No

 

And  _he’d_  thought he was at home…..

 

No

 

 

 

Oh he’d know it, hadn’t he, he’d known

He wasn’t surprised

 

No he wasn’t a bit surprised

 

Why should he be, he’d seen this coming

 

It had been there…since a month…all the signs….

He’d known very well

 

 

The crash of the basket falling echoed through the empty store, but Sehun was already running – the air flashing spears of ice into his lungs as he hurtled out the door, and kept going  -

The startled owner calling out to him, but he was running

 

His feet pounding against the pavement, stumbling into people and not caring, swerving onto the road so he didn’t have to stop..

 Running and running and –

 

His breath struggled, freezing in his throat as he panted

 

Kept on..

_Have to keep on_

 

_Don’t…_

 

No

 

No

 

_No it couldn’t be.._

 

 

 

 

Sehun screamed, his voice breaking, going guttural and raw, as he slammed his face into his pillow. Choking and gasping in anguish, he sobbed, his hands fisted so tight the nails cut into his flesh – but he didn’t even notice, his cries rending through his chest

Why…why would he..

_PLEASE, PLEASE STOP -  DON’T DO THIS, DON’T LET THIS HAPPENTHIS…_

I love you, I love you so so so much Tao, please…

Aaaaaaarrrhhhhhhhh  He pounded his fist into his thigh, desperately hitting himself, desperately trying to block the pain, to push it away - 

Why

_Why_

How could you  _do_  this…how could you just…

His thoughts flamed through his head, he could physically feel them scorching his flesh, and he didn’t know if he was thinking or screaming, he couldn’t breathe

We were…..we were  _so_  …

 

 

How could you do this to me, i…

 

He was clawing at himself, as the tears flooding down into pillow… his heart..his heart was really really ripping apart, how could he do this to me…I’m going to die, I really am, I can’t…

Everytime his sobs quietened down, another image would flash into his mind – disjointed, dissociated memories, the pain so intense it was scary

Please

Please.. no…please

 

Tao lacing his fingers through his own

 

_TAAAOOOO grruggghhhh uuhh no..please…_

 

Tao pulling him down into his lap

 

The way he looked, first thing in the morning, just when he woke up

 

The way his voice sounded, when he was trying not to laugh, pretending he was offended, or irritated or…

 

No

 

No

 

_Please_

 

_CAN’T BE REAL ,OH GOD PLEASE not –_

_WHYYWOULDHE – IT HURTS SO MUCH ICAN’TBEARIT!!!!!!! PLEASE PLEASE MAKE IT STOP PLEASE just…just let it stop_

_Please Tao don’t… this…._

 

_Just…_

 

He’d been wrong, he’d thought it was the ‘worst’ when he didn’t know..for sure…when he was doubting and suspicious but didn’t  _know_

He’d thought… if only he  _knew_  for sure…if Tao was gonna stay with him or not..

He’d thought if he only knew it would all be better

 

_PLEASE don’t…. just… god…please I don’t…want anything else, I don’t need anything I’ve never asked…please please don’t_

_Don’t take this_

 

_Please don’t let him go away from me_

 

_Please_

_I’ll do …….anything … everything, I…_

 

_He’s all….he’s the only thing I want, please, nothing else, you can take anything else, please… please just let me have my Tao.._

 

 

_Please..Tao…whhyyy..why would you…_

 

It was all so much worse

 

 

 

 

By the time the first faint tremors of sunlight breathed into the room, Sehun was sitting against the wall under the window, his knees drawn to his chest, staring blankly at his room..

He wasn’t even thinking of anything anymore

 

_He was just so tired_

 

He’d stopped crying at some point..

At some point he’d sat here

 

_When…?...._

 

_Aahh_

 

_Nothing mattered anyway_

 

The light slowly flooded in, gathering strength and stroking golden fingers over the wood, chasing away the shadows. Occasionally, a sob shook his shoulders, jerking them painfully against the thin cotton of the T shirt he was wearing. But they were dry ones, and no glimmer passed through his red, angrily swollen eyes… no soothingly wet droplet flew over his puffy, swollen cheeks

Is it possible to cry so much, you just couldn’t any longer?

 

He didn’t know

 

He didn’t know when he’d stopped or why..

He didn’t care

He didn’t know if he should care….

 

He couldn’t think, his head was so heavy..

 

Everything was so heavy…

 

 

Sehun reached out a shaking hand, splaying his fingers apart in the clean, fresh sunlight…letting the buttercup float over his skin… He couldn’t feel anything.

It was weird

 

From looking at it, he knew it should be warm…. But he couldn’t feel it

 Uselessly, he let his hand drop

 

 

He couldn’t think about it anymore

 

He just…couldn’t…. he wouldn’t

 

Sehun unfolded himself, straightening up, his muscles spasming from having been bunched up in one position for so many hours.. somehow, even the pain knifing through his limbs seemed to be somewhere far away, with no connection to him at all

 

 

 

 

 

‘Seee~~~Hun~~~ Here you go!’

‘…Umm.’

Jerking his head in thanks, Sehun accepted the spiced drink with both hands, squirming over as Lu dropped onto the bench next to him.

‘Aah~ah’ He sighed, stretching languorously, reaching a foot to prod Xiu, who was leaning against the tree opposite. ‘Baozi~~~ Gimme a sip~~’       ‘Ha!? Get your own!’ Xiumin puffed his cheeks out at him, swivelling away to keep slurping at his hot chocolate. ‘I gave it to Sehun~~ c’moonn don’t be mean~~’       ‘Well, you should have gotten one for yourself too, then!’

‘Baozi~~~ Baozi~~~Baozi~~~Baozi~~ - ‘

‘Ohh okay alright, alright, here, just stop calling me that!!’

‘Yaayys~~’ Beaming happily, Lu reached for the cup Xiumin held out in mock-exasperation, winking cheekily at Sehun as he noisily strawed in a giant mouthful. ‘Ohhh this is good~~’      ‘If you finish it, you’re getting me another one~~’    ‘Ha!? Get your own’    

  ‘…..’           

‘Yaaaa~~ stoppit, stoppit, Baoziiiiiiii!!!!!!!~~~’

 

 

He’d run into them at the park sometime around five – or rather,  _they’d_  spotted him, sitting on the bench, just staring out at the smooth, snow covered turf…. Sehun had intended to go to school in the morning, he’d even gotten dressed in his uniform, taken his bookbag with him… but somewhere along the way…he’d forgotten…he’d blanked out…wandering aimlessly through the town, through the cheery happy winter morning, not doing anything, not thinking anything, just….walking….

And as he walked, making his way up and down streets he’d never seen before, pacing his footsteps precisely in a straight line around cobblestone corners, and past tinsel covered windows, he’d realised something – he  _had_  to see Tao now. There wasn’t any putting it off any longer.

He had to speak to him….

 

If need be…

 

_If there was no away around it…_

Then…

They’d have to….

 

‘And Yu-ge totally bought it, he was like, ‘Yes, of course, take him, go on Xiumin’… ehehehehe I am sooooo clever~~’ Lu  rubbed the back of Sehun’s neck in glee, waiting for him to join in his enthusiasm, looking for his acknowledgment of his supreme genius -

‘…umm..’  Sehun nodded, his expression blank

 

‘Sehun!!!!! Honestly, that was a good one, okay, weren’t you listening, the part where I – ‘

‘Sorry!’ Sehun abruptly leapt to his feet, pulling up his discarded bag and half-bowing to the two startled boys. ‘Sorry…here…thanks for this, you can have the rest, i… I have to go..’

Bowing again, Sehun set off, his brisk pace soon turning into a run, as he vaulted over the short fence, and headed off down the road.

‘Gru-uff..’ He cleared his throat experimentally as he ran – his voice…felt weird..in his throat… like..it somehow wasn’t even his….oh..that’s right…he hadn’t spoken a word all day, till now… The cold blew puffs of frost into his face, and soon, he forgot about that, about the sharp pain he’d felt watching Lu  and Xiumin, the unbearable torrent of thoughts, just a bare hair’s breadth away, if he let them come, if he let himself…remember….

 

He was panting for breath as he pushed one hand against the gate, sliding through, into the chalk white pool poured down by the lamp post overhead. Quite a few lights were on in the Main building – and he could hear sounds from the gym, mingling in the chilly air with the raised voices and laughter coming from the playing fields.. It looked like most people were still here..still in practice, or preparations..

He nodded mechanically to the kids who yelled out in greeting as they ran by, holding a giant wooden block together, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he made his way to the side stairwell, taking a short cut to the Council Office room on the first floor, where –

 

‘Uh! Xiulan!’

‘Huh…Oh, Good Evening, Sehun-ge!!’

‘….where’s everyone..?’

‘Gone’

‘…Yes, but where…..?’

‘….home..? Everyone’s gone home already, it’s almost 6…I’m just locking up, then I’ll go to…. Zitao-Ge said I could, coz He trusts me to Do A Good Job, ehehe~~’  The boy pronounced proudly, as he pushed the last of the chairs into place at the long table, and headed out to where Sehun was standing right outside the door of the empty, silent room, collecting his bag and a folder of papers en route, and reaching to flick off the lights. The darkness fell immediately, slicing away the afterimages of purpose and diligence that wreathed about the room, papering the air in midnight blue, before, with a click, Xiulan shut the door and locked it, pocketing the key happily. The ghostly glimmerings of white from the lights lining the courtyard trickled in to play over his face as he turned back to Sehun.

‘Six….That’s…’

‘Oh, Zitao-Ge always has us out of here by 5:30pm at the latest… it gets really dark by then, right? Plus…He’s really busy, He’s got Stuff To Do…’

 

Wordlessly, Sehun spun on his heel and headed out, habit taking him across the courtyard to the building which – as he’d known from the beginning, anyway – lay still and dark. He stepped up, placing his palms flat against the cold, smooth wood for a moment, before sliding the door open.

It was almost serene….cold, deep blue; peaceful…

It felt like he did… so calm..

For the first time since last night – no, for the first time in days, Sehun felt thoroughly tranquil. He stepped into the Wushu Club hall, sliding the door shut behind him, breathing in the darkness that fell, so black, he couldn’t even see his hands.. He’d been right, this  _did_  smell like Tao – this polish…the hint of pine… He pushed his fingers into his pocket as he leaned against the wall, pulling out his phone – he’d gotten a new one last week, after no amount of fiddling could get the old one to work, picking a model at random and transferring in his user card, which thankfully was undamaged– and flicked it on, the glow playing over his fingers. Before he began to type, though, he closed his eyes, for a moment…for one long minute, he just stood there, breathing in the smell…

Like Tao…

It almost felt…if he really pretended, it almost felt like he was right here…

Beside him

 

Like he was close to him again…

 

 _One last time_ …

 

 

 

The next instance, Sehun snapped his eyes open, looking down at the vibrating phone in his hand – as it fell into silence, the icon bopped at the top, the ‘new message’ notification, clearly spelling out ‘Tao’

 

 

‘Hun-ah, I need to c u’

 

 

………………….

………

…

 

It was like even this was a mockery – the way they used to read each other’s minds, the way he’d texted  _just_  as he was about to message him –

The phone vibrated again

‘right now’

 

‘K.’ Sehun typed in. ‘Come over.’ His fingers were shaking as he pushed the ‘send’ button, then stuffed the phone back into pocket, holding his bag out of the way as he left, closing the door behind him and stepping out into the snow –

Brrrrrrringg

 

‘….’  He pulled out his phone again

 

‘Na, meet me @ the hill’

 

‘K’

 

 

 

A trickle of sweat beaded out onto his forehead, dripping down the side of his face, despite the nip in the air. As he made his way up the road, his feet dragging slower and slower, his heart was pounding  _so_  hard in his chest – ramming itself against his insides so hard.. The cold clenching fear that had filled a portion of his mind earlier, was now rampaging through  _all_  of him, flooding through him so he was struggling for breath, struggling to think, struggling to feel  _anything_  else at all – but it was useless, he was  _terrified_

‘I’m not…ready.. I’m not ready..’ he croaked to himself, his voice sqeaky and shivering so bad, his words were incoherent even to himself

‘Ohhgod…’

 

Trembling visibly now, he stepped off the road at the crest of the hill, moving to the middle of the space they…

The view

_He couldn’t help it…._

 

The smell of the evergreens that grew along the slope on the other side..

 

_All the times they’d…._

 

The dark of the sea over the horizon, the colours of the lights…

 

_He knew what was coming…he knew…and he couldn’t do anything about it…._

_Ohhgod…please…_

_Please…_

 

_I can’t bear it_

 

The sound of the wind, whistling about him –

And the next second it was gone, an even more familiar, even more beloved sounding footstep behind him, blocking away the cold, that most familiar, most beloved warmth radiating from behind him, and Sehun spun around –

His breath catching for a moment – even at a time like this, that gasp that spilled out of him involuntarily as he laid eyes – for what felt like the first time in  _years_   - at the tall, broad shouldered, muscular boy, with black hair, and smudged eyes, who was looking down at him

 

‘Ta…ao….’ He breathed

 

_Ohgodd…._

His face was cold…expressionless…

 

Unreadable..

 

Wordlessly, Tao stepped past him, moving to the ledge right at the crest. ‘It feels like forever, since we’ve been here, right…’ He sighed, after a long moment, his eyes on the town that lay spread out like a magical fairyland before them. His voice was steady, his words polite…. Distant…

 

‘…erm…yes. Yeah.’ Struggling to keep his own voice as detached, his own expression as…inscrutable…as  _normal,_  Sehun stepped up beside him, casually looking out over the vista ‘Like….forever’

 

‘Hun-ah…’ Tao tilted his head to look over at him, a faint little smile on his lips  - the lack of his usual warmth, the absence of that teasing, secret love that usually filled the smile he had for him was like a physical blow, and Sehun almost stumbled as he turned to face him properly. ‘Yes?’

 

‘I….ah….wow, when I’m right at the moment, I don’t know what to say, ehehe..’  Tao chuckled, rather sheepishly, rubbing the back of his hair. ‘Soo…..ermm…

 

Sehun just looked at him, waiting.

 

_Say it._

 

_Now that its come to this…._

 

_Just say it._

He wasn’t gonna help.

 

‘Soo….i kinda….wow, this is  _hard_ … okay wait, first of all, I’m sorry.’

 

‘…..uh-huh….’

 

_He’d thought he was prepared..but at that first word of apology, his insides plummeted, and he reached out to grip the stone cropping that formed the ledge, holding so tight, his knuckles turned white_

 

‘I…..okay, so, you know how I kept telling you I couldn’t come over coz I had to go home…or…like, I was busy with the Council, and stuff??? Well…..actually….that…..

That was a lie.’

 

‘….right.’

 

‘Uurmm…see,  _actually_..I…

…..

….wow, okay, wait, maybe I should start the other way around.’

 

Suddenly sounding determined, Tao shoved his hand into the pocket of his blazer, pulling out something  - before turning hesitant again ‘So…ermm..’

 

Sehun stared blankly at him

 

‘Okay, c’mon, am I supposed to go down on one knee or something, I have  _no_  idea how to do this okay!!’ Tao laughed, an utterly embarrassed – but also kinda… _proud?_  laugh, turning the box in his hand over and over

‘……..what?’

‘Look…just…here!’ Tao thrust the box out to him – then impatiently pulled it back, opening the lid, one hand unconsciously coming to hold Sehun’s wrist

 

The light from the town below, and the lamp down the road were faint here – but more than sufficient to gleam breathtakingly over the soft, glossy cloth that lined the box, the intricately sewn in ‘C’ symbols that lay plush over it, the velveteen shimmer of the dark red box itself – and most beautifully, over what lay inside

‘…What…..what….’ Sehun croaked, unable to take it in, unable to take  _any_  of it in

‘Hunnie!! It’s the Cartier – ‘

‘Love bracelet…’ Sehun breathed, finishing his sentence, reaching out one trembling finger to stroke over the glittering white gold – god, even the shine was different, somehow more alluring, rich and molten and enthralling than anything he’d ever seen this close – but pulling away before he could actually touch it, fisting his hands quickly, to stare up at Tao again

_What_

 

_What the fuck_

 

_Tao looked…happy? And excited and…_

 

‘Where the hell did you get this from, what is this!!’

 

‘…….. Oh Sehun!!!’ Exasperated, Tao pulled the bracelet out, holding it up admiringly to the light for a moment – before tugging Sehun’s wrist closer, twiddling over it for a bit - a cold snap, a weight - and in one smooth movement, sliding it higher onto his arm      ‘Wow…that’s perfect..’

 

‘HUANG ZITAO!!!’ Sehun finally broke out, yanking his arm away, gaping alternatively at the bracelet – which  _did_  look perfect, glowing against his skin like something…fantastical… ‘WHAT the hell!???’

 

‘See~~hunnn~~’ Laughing, Tao grabbed him – winding his arms about his waist, he tugged him forward – and the next moment, everything vanished, wondering about the bracelet, the memories this place held, his fear, the anger and loneliness and everything he’d felt, the pain -  the deep, deep,  _terrible_  pain – everything, all of it flicked away for a pulsating endless moment, as he suddenly found himself in Tao’s arms again, as the warmth that every bit of his body,  _every cell,_  every fibre had been longing for so desperately settled about him again, pulling him back effortlessly into that smell – he’d been wrong, it wasn’t just like that hall, there was so much more here, that ‘Tao’ fragrance  - the  _feel_  of his body, firm in places, soft in others –

 

‘ _TAO_!!’ Sehun pulled away firmly, his body shaking violently, his breath suddenly raw and burning in his throat, but determined. He held up his arm, the bracelet glinting off fractures of light. ‘Explain!!’

‘Seeehuuunnn~~’ Sighing again, Tao reached for him – but Sehun circumvented him, glaring steadfastly.

 

‘…Okay  _okay_  fine, it’s like…Christmas…and also, ya know, the…other thing….’

 

‘……………..’

 

‘US!!! You and me!! We…I thought..well…..it would’ve been kinda weird to get actual  _rings_ , ya know..i mean…As much as I  _wish_  I could have just gotten you a ring, I thought I’d have to wait for that, lol..so..in the meantime..’ He gestured towards Sehun’s wrist. ‘i mean, this is  _as_ …meaningful..and binding..as any ring, right..it’s the Love bracelet, for crying out loud… it's as much of a..a..well..  _commitment.._ I’ve been wanting to get it for you for a while..and… well.. it’s like, how we’ll always be together, right, forever and ever… you’ll belong to me, and I to you…and..god okay, it’s kinda weird to say it like this..but..um…it’s true, that’s how I really feel!!’ Suddenly vehement, he turned to face Sehun properly, his eyes blazing. ‘It’s just…I…I  _need_  you to be mine, for always!’

The next instant, he blushed crimson, and quickly turned away again, shuffling his feet shyly.  So..yeah, that’s what I was trying to tell you – umm..i really wanted..to get this for you…and obviously, not with my parent’s money or whatever – you know.. where you’re concerned, i just.. i just wanted to do it myself, earn every last bit of the money myself..’ Tao laughed self depraciatingly, turning a fiery gaze – blushing…yet also…something else smouldering in his eyes - at Sehun for a moment, before hastily glancing away…  

‘So..umm…basically..i got a job – Ah! It’s just at this sushi place – I had to borrow the rest of the money, they said I can pay back in monthly installements, so I’ll have to keep doing part time work for a bit……ummm…which brings me to the second part of your gift.’

Tao, grinning smugly again now, pointed a finger behind Sehun.

 

Startled, he jumped around –  _he’d heard something – when Tao had pointed, like a  -_

There was a box set on the side, a plain cardboard box….which was  _moving_ …

 

‘Look inside!!!’

 

Almost reflexively, in response to that excited urging of Tao’s, that he couldn’t have resisted even if it had said ‘jump off the edge’, still unable to think properly, still utterly incapable of comprehension, Sehun stepped towards the box, which was now making shuffling, snorting noises, kneeling down, to push aside the flaps –

 

And immediately, a little head popped out, white fur dancing as the tiny little puppy waffled happily, squirming about to rub its muzzle against Sehun’s hand

 

‘She’s  _adorable_ , isn’t she…. She’s gonna take care of you when I’m not around, when I’m working, she’s….gonna make sure you’re okay~~’

Tao’s voice whispered against his ear – he’d come up to squat just behind him, reaching his hands over Sehun’s to stroke the little pup…. His breath wafting over Sehun’s neck

‘Oohhh whoshea good puppy, whoosha good girl, you are, yesh shu are~~~’

 

For a long moment, Sehun just watched, as Tao petted the little doll – so tiny, she cud’ve easily fit into the palm of his hands, her fur so soft and fluffy as it tickled his hands….the bracelet on his wrist still sparkled, seeming to suck in all the light around – it already felt warm on his skin…almost like a piece of Tao…a piece of Tao’s warmth…

 

_That horrible cold exposed feeling he’d…… that pain…. It seemed to blow them away so perfectly…_

 

‘Aaahh~ah..’ Beside him, Tao stopped, leaning back on his haunches.

 

For a long moment, there was silence – Sehun’s eyes fixed on the back of Tao’s head, Tao looking away..the puppy gnawing playfully at his thumb…

 

‘You….hate it…right..I can tell…you…you haven’t said anything……’ Tao’s head was still bent away, hidden in the shadows… his voice was light, casual, tinged through with resignation and acceptance… but this close, Sehun could feel the slight tremble in his shoulders, as he continued. ‘Honestly…i…I’ve been kinda worried…about… stuff for a bit.. we… I wanted it to be a surprise, so I  _had_  to hide it, hide everything about it.. but… of course, I know I can’t expect you to stay with me forever, I mean, I guess I was  _hoping_  for that so much, I kinda forgot that it wouldn’t necessarily follow..i guess… you’ve been having  other ideas the last coupla weeks, right… just going and doing something like this, on my own...just getting high handed like this...obviously you're mad..’

Almost like he needed the comfort, he took the little puppy entirely into his hands, rubbing her head. ‘It’s okay, I…i don't know what i was thinking..trying to ... _bind_ you to me or whatever, I'm sorry...I’ll return it tomorrow… ‘

His hands were shaking

 

Sehun could recognize the catch in his voice, recognize it so viscerally…the defeat, the pain, the longing, the fear….

 

Wordlessly, he reached out, lifting the happy little thing  - who was now yipping experimentally, like she couldn’t figure out how this whole ‘bark’ing thing worked –out of Tao’s hands, petting her for a moment, before setting her down in her box, and straightened up.

‘Tao-ya.’

 

‘…Yeah??’

 

‘Stand up a sec, wouldcha.’

‘……ermm..okay…’ Bewildered, Tao stood too, his eyebrows frowning a question at Sehun – before –

 

_Whhoommppp_

 

‘OWW!! What the hell!!! What was that for!!!’ He cried, rubbing his stomach, where Sehun had punched him as hard as he possibly could, throwing his whole weight behind it, his emotions lending him a strength he didn’t even know he had – but definitely still not enough, to significantly damage this stupid Wushu idiot, he thought, as he slammed himself into Tao’s arms, wrapping his fingers about his face as he forcefully pulled his lips down to his own

 

Gasping in shock - but slowly chuckling now – relief and gratitude vying for control, happiness bubbling under his stunned surprise, Tao leaned in, laying his lips against his boy’s – his perfect, wonderful little elf, the most precious thing in the whole world to him, hugging his arms tightly around that slender body he knew as well as his own, but which never failed to send a thrill through him, a spicy, sweet thrill….

 

Their kiss was frenzied, the long absence, the tension of the past weeks, of this very moment, everything colliding in that point of contact, their mouths parting wetly, as Tao drove his tongue into Sehun’s mouth…they were gasping, Sehun’s hands plucking against Tao’s shoulders, their legs shoving between each other’s, as Sehun powerfully sucked on Tao’s tongue, before rubbing against it with his own…

The sensations exploded through them, intoxicating…potent…

It was all so familiar, yet so heartbreakingly new….

 

 

It felt almost like pain itself, this happiness, like he was  _home_  finally.. finally!! His breath caught in his throat, his gasps almost sobs, as his arms tightened around him, pulling his closer… the feel of Sehun’s skin – oh god, how he’d missed this!! How he’d longed for this!!! The past few weeks…he’d been so so afraid!! Like… like Sehun didn’t want him anymore..

Like he didn’t need him anymore…

 

Checking his phone every minute for another of those adorably scolding texts - where are you, come here NOW, what are you doing, I don’t care, I said COME HERE…..  but there was nothing…nothing except the smiling happy carefree face in every one of the gazillion updates one of his friends posted, exuberantly laughing with Lu Han or Xiumin, or any of the others…

 

Like he didn’t even  _notice_  that Tao wasn’t around!!

 

Not a word, not a call or text….. even when Tao texted him, it was only with a single letter that he replied…

 

He couldn’t bear it… 

 

Tao hooked two fingers into Sehun’s shirt, then wormed them in, tracing gently against the soft, warm satin of his stomach – almost laughing out loud at the way his own desire and need was echoed in the groan that fell from Sehun’s lips, the way he pushed his body even closer

 

Even thinking about it – going back….back to that time before Sehun, before he’d known Sehun….

He’d known for a fact he’d rather die.

 

If he had to go back to being that…alone…. _just so alone all the time_ , he couldn’t go on

 

Coz it was only Sehun. No one else….no matter who else he was with, no one could feel like this – feel like a part of him, feel like the other half of him…  no one else could possibly fill this place…

 

Breaking away, Tao placed a kiss right on the tip of Sehun’s nose, making him wuffle –  _there it was! The moment he’d walked into the pet store, and heard that puppy, he’d_  known  _she was the one – they both made the same exact heart wrenchingly adorable wuffle –_  before two over his eyelids, gracing his lips tenderly against those gorgeous lashes, before  moving back to his lips…

 

Even right now – Sehun had looked so…. far, like he was so far away from him, like an ocean separated them….  He’d thought – he’d hoped when he gave him the bracelet, he’d…. see, he’d understand how… how he couldn’t live without him… but his expression at the time….

 

‘Ohgodd, how I love you…’ Tao breathed into Sehun’s mouth, his fingers sliding higher into Sehun’s shirt, wanting more than anything to reassure himself that this wasn’t just another of the fantasies he’d been having all week, the dreams of having this very body in his arms, only to wake up and find the emptiness suffocatingly covering him…

 

He'd spent days planning exactly how to go about buying the bracelet ..applying for work everywhere he could think of, and being turned down over and over, the despair had set in - he  _had_  to get it for Sehun, no matter what – but coloured over by determination, and he hadn’t stopped, he’d kept searching.....At last, Hiro San had recommended him to a friend of his, who ran a Sushi place – and then everything had just gotten even tougher! It was one of those places with a carousel, where the orders were sent out on the belt – and he’d had to learn so much, cleaning fish, [it had taken his ages to get over how disgusting that was!!] cutting, dressing, garnishing…it had taken a whole week for him to be allowed to do more than wash the dishes… but he had to keep at it, even after Wushu practice – which was almost as intense now, for the Fes, as it jhad been before the tourn,  _plus_  all of the council work – but it was nothing, ha! If it was for Sehun’s sake, he could do a hundred times this!!

But then….

 

Sehun had stopped coming over to find him… stopped texting him or calling him or…talking to him…

 

Stopped wanting him…

 

 

He’d been so  _terrified_!! He couldn’t  - anything was better than not having Sehun,  _anything_ , that part of him that had always wondered in awe at his boy, at how…beautiful he was, at how magical, and gorgeous… that part twisted around, slicing into him saying ‘How could you possibly think that someone like  _him_  would stick around a useless shit like you..’

He’d gone over everything so many times, and all he could think of was the things he’d said that he shouldn’t have…things he’d done…moments when he’d said ‘no’ when Sehun had wanted a ‘yes’…why had he….

He couldn’t bear it

 

Late at night, he’d lie in bed and bite his lip so hard he’d formed a permanent mark, struggling not to scream, not to sob, wary of his parents down the corridor - biting down into the pillow in his anguish, smothering his screams, his cries, when his heart felt like it was being ripped apart over and over and over.... alone and forgotten in the dark....his tears coursing down his cheeks as he thought of never being able to be with Sehun again…

Never reach out and touch him..

Never look up and see him licking that lip of his…

 

Never laugh and joke about something totally ridiculous…

 

He’d cried and begged and pleaded with God..

 

_Please…._

 

_I’ll do anything, please…just….don’t take Sehun from me.._

_He’s my everything…he means more than the world to me, more than my own life, please, I’ll do anything…please…!!!!!!_

_Please….let me keep him…_

 

_I can’t go on without him_

 

And everytime, his phone would buzz with a notification, and he’d open it only to see a pic one of his classmates had posted – Lu Han, or Suki or Wei or Fang or anyone, and there Sehun would be, grinning his cheeky, cutely sexy smile at the camera. Making some adorable pose or the other…

Happy..

Carefree….

 

And his heart would twist even further, and the pain would swell so much it felt scary, like his mind would just snap – this wasn’t possible…how could I feel so much suffering and still be alive..his lungs were ripping apart, inside his chest, shooting through him, and he couldn’t breathe, and oh god, it was his fault, what had he been thinking, this was what was right for Sehun, he should be with people like that, hanging out with  _his_  crowd, not with someone like him… But please…even so...please please please, don’t…… please don’t….

 

And still he’d worked so hard, for a month, pulling crazy overtime, putting in more than one all-nighter, till he’d managed to scrape together the down payment on the Bracelet…somehow, through it all, he’d held onto it as…as some sort of talisman – as long as he got it… when he got it, things would go back to normal…

Everything would be fine…

 

 _They’d_  be fine…

When he finally held the box in his hands, looking at it up close for the first time, he’d actually laughed – genuinely happy for the first time in aages – Sehun would  _love_  it, he definitely would, this was gorgeous!! He’d see it…and understand…he’d know how much he meant to him….

 _Please…don’t ever go away from me,_  it would say. Please.. don’t ever go where my eyes cant see you, or my hand reach you…

Please be mine forever

I love you, and I’ll do anything for you….

Be mine, it would say. Be mine, for always.

 

 

And then….he’d given it to him, and… Sehun had…hadn’t even said…he’d looked…like…..

 

But…just when he’d thought this was it…they were… totally… over… just when he’d felt that crushing, numbing realisation…

 

 

‘I love you too..’ Sehun whispered back, stroking the side of Tao’s face, pushing himself as close into him as he possibly physically could, wanting nothing more than to bury himself fully in him, to lose himself in his Tao completely…

 

 

When they finally broke apart, both their cheeks were bedewed, their eyes glimmering wetly. Chuckling brokenly through his sob, Sehun lifted on his toes, hanging onto Tao, to press his face against his – forehead to forehead, nose to nose, lips to lips….their lashes tangling, their breath hot on the other’s lips… ‘Why….why are you…cryi..ing…’

‘Why are..  _you_ …’

They kissed again, softly, lingeringly, soothingly…..

The gentle softness laced with so much love and tenderness, it felt like something incredible, something not of this world… like in that moment, as they stood there, the beautiful flickering lights of the town below glowing magically about them, the cool darkness around, the blazing winter sky above their heads, the rustling branches of the pines, it was like they were in a universe that belonged to only the two of them – an enchanted, impossible universe, so beautiful, so breathtaking it couldn’t possibly be real… and yet, like something so nostalgic, so  _known_ , the recognition reverberating pounding into their hearts…

The place they belonged

 

In each other’s arms

 

‘I…. miss..ed… you…’

‘Me…too…’

They broke apart again, but not moving away, their faces against each other

‘We’re…never.. _ever_..doing that again.’

‘You bet your life, we’re not!’ Sehun snorted, sliding down onto his feet, before leaning even closer into Tao, burying his face in his neck as they hugged each other as tight as they could ‘Next time you do something so crazy, I  _swear to fuck,_  the  _very_  next time you even  _think_  of randomly disappearing, I’m putting a fucking tracker on you!!’

He nipped at the taunt skin of Tao’s nape, as the taller boy chocked with laughter. ‘And God help you when I find you, you ……’

‘…..but you  _have_  to admit,  _my_  surprises are still waayy better than yours~~’

‘Haa!!?????’ Sehun pulled away, glaring at the now openly laughing idiot ‘Are you  _crazy,_  you  _dick_ , how can you…even..’ spluttering angrily, Sehun stepped back, scowling darkly at him

‘Oh yeah?’ Tao giggled. ‘Give it back then.’

‘….huh?’

 

‘The bracelet, give it back.’

‘……. I dunno what you’re talking about.’ Throwing his words out airily, tossing his nose in the air, Sehun stepped back even further – carefully tucking his right arm with the bracelet into his shirt, and protectively covering it with another, and ignoring Tao’s hoots –

But snuggling in, just as lovingly, when he finally stopped laughing, and came over to wrap an arm around him again…laying a kiss over the top of his head..his temple… Sehun angled his cheek authoritatively, and giggling, Tao planted one on his cheek too…

The corner of his lips…

Sehun turned back into him, sliding both his palms against his neck, and they kissed fully again, their lips meeting and entangling, their tongues cloying… breathing in each other… Tao was almost carrying Sehun now, as he threaded his fingers into his hair, musing it up happily… interspersing their kisses with little giggles and laughter and endlessly repeating the words they couldn’t get enough of

‘I love you’

 

‘I love you’

 

‘I love you’

 

‘Wauuff wuff wuff wahuff!!!!’ Suddenly, a series of high pitched yelps sounded out, making the boys leap apart, gasping in shock – then burst out laughing at the sight of the puppy, who, annoyed at being ignored for so long, had tried to climb her way out of the box – succeeding in overturning it, trapping herself underneath.

‘It’s okay, it’s okay, we got you…it’s okay..’ Tao murmured soothingly, as they knelt down beside the box, calming her down enough that she let him pick her up – while Sehun giggled helplessly at the sight of his big manly hunk of a boyfriend effectively turned into a ‘mama’

‘Give her here~’ crowing, he reached for her, holding her close to his chest, ‘Awww did the big giant frighten you~~ ish okay, he can’t help it, he’s a big stupid~~’  ‘Oyy!!!She wasn’t  _frightened,_  she  _likes_  me, don’t you, my pet~~’ Tao pursed his lips, blowing kisses at the puppy, as he stroked her too, both the boys laughing as she wagged her tail so hard, luxuriating under the ministrations of two such well-trained humans, that her whole body shook, jerking from head to toe ‘I thought  _I_  was your pet~~’ Sehun pouted, pretending to sulk – setting Tao into even harder chortles, as he leaned over the kiss him over the lips again ‘ Sure you are!! And remind me to get you one too, when we go to buy her a collar’

‘Ass~~’ Sehun squirmed happily against him, bumping his head against his shoulder, before jumping to his feet, still holding the puppy against him ‘C’mon~~ Let’s go home.’

 

‘Umm~~ Alright~~’ Tao stood up too, brushing himself down, before draping his arm about him, and they both turned, heading down the hill

‘Besides..’ Sehun blurted, twisting his arm slightly. ‘This is pretty much the same as a collar right – ‘ Before cutting himself off, blushing scarlet at the images that that brought to mind – setting off a similar response in Tao, who hastened to cover his mouth with one hand.

 

 

‘But…Hunnie..’

‘Hmm?’

Sehun quirked an eyebrow at him, as they walked past the corner, turning into the lane that led to his house.

‘You like it right..?’

‘..of course!!!!! I LOVE it!!!!!!!!!!!! SOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!’

 

‘really?..ehehe…’ Reassured by Sehun’s vehemence, Tao laughed happily, squeezing him closer.

‘Yeah!!!!!!! It’s like….  Like you said, like a ring… like a promise, right?’

‘Umm!!’ Tao nodded emphatically, as Sehun continued, ‘I…I mean, ya know…I, i love you…and no matter what, I’m yours, right…I’ll only ever belong to Tao…and Tao belongs to me too – you’re not ever allowed to like  _anyone else_..or…or.. go to anyone else!!!’

‘Yes, Sir’ Tao chortled at Sehun’s suddenly burning glare, as they passed the lamp post, climbing up the small stair that led to the door. Their home… it was cold and silent now, but soon, the lights would blaze out, and the smell of hot food…. they’d make cocoa, and cuddle up together, and introduce themselves properly to the little puppy – they’d name her, something sweet and cute, and they’d wash her nicely and make her pretty…make up a bed for her too, put down blankets and a cushion, and tuck her in… and later on, after she’d slept, it would be their time, and they’d…they’d reintroduce themselves to each other, as it were, they’d make love in that warm, golden room, their bodies mingling and rising and falling together, like they were meant to be… the pleasure – that indescribable pleasure  - that came from just knowing they were right where they were meant to be… with each other…

‘I mean it!!’

‘Me too!!!’ Tao playfully tugged a strand of Sehun’s parrot hair, before reaching to peck his lips. ‘You know I do…  you’re my whole world, Hunnie’

‘Humph!’ Mollified, Sehun kissed him back – then laughed, unable to hold onto his stern look any longer.

‘I  _do_  love my gift – both of them!’ Sehun sighed, resting his head against Tao’s shoulder, as the taller boy pulled out his key and unlocked the door. ‘They’re both beautiful…. Ah! But you need to get yourself one too, don't you!! They're supposed to be...ya know... .’ It took him a moment to overcome his sudden shyness long enough to say it  ' _couple_ bracelets..' 'Uhuh~~' Tao giggled - Sehun's red cheeks and the nervous way he kept licking his lips - ohh  _gawd_ he was precious!! - 'Yup, I’ll get the pair for me - I’m working on it~~' 'Eeehh...that's cool..' Sehun bit his lip, trying to hide how pleased he was.. 

One last time, he held his arm out, letting the light from the street lamp wash diamonds over the silver. ‘Together….’ ‘….forever’ Tao finished, swooping to plant a kiss right over his wrist, before sliding the bracelet over to hide the spot he had just kissed, like it was covering their secret, making Sehun giggle.

‘C’mon, it’s cold.’

‘Umm.’

Turning to smile at each other, the boys stepped in, and the door swung shut gently behind them.

 

 


End file.
